Naruto Hatake Hokage rising
by NarutoandBleach
Summary: Naruto is shunned by the villagers because he is the container of the Kyubii, but he is later rescued by the clans of Konoha who will adopt and train Naruto for six months before he graduates from the academy and face new challenges.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

By Combatally12

Note: I do not own Naruto or its disclaimers. Naruto is shunned by the villagers because he is the container of the Kyubii, but he is later rescued by the clans of Konoha: Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Hyuga, and the Uchiha who will be adopting naruto, which could change his life forever. Naruto will also have new friends to support him as well. But it's in the alternate Universe. And now I give you Naruto Hatake: Hokage rising

Chapter 1: Prologue

Introduction: A six year old Naruto Uzumaki, who is the container of the nine-tailed fox, was living in the orphanage but was getting tired of it. So he leaves the orphanage to find a family that would adopt him when he is attacked by the villagers. And then out of the blue, Tsume Inuzuka shows up to find Naruto and then takes him to the hokage where he will put naruto up for adoption with a family and now all the clan heirs wants to adopt him. And now on with the show.

It was late at night and Naruto had just left the orphanage house after he was so depressed about the people in there ignoring him and not taking good care of him ever sine the Yondaime sacrificed his own life to keep the village safe. "Why does the orphanage hate me so much? I'd rather not be in that place again. I am so sick of the people there not treating me like a normal child." Naruto thought to himself. As naruto walked home, he sees the villagers coming towards him. The noises were so loud that it bothered the jounins eating dinner and shattered the windows of the Inuzuka compund. Tsume quickly dropped her silverware on her dinner plate and ran over to the window to see what the commotion was about, and she was shocked to see the civilians holding weapons getting ready to kill a child trying to run from them. So she decided to spring into action. "Let's go Kuromaru! We got to save that kid before he gets hurt out there." She told her dog. And they both left the house immediately.

"I wonder what that was all about." Said Kiba. Even Akamaru wondered as well.

"Oh, don't worry, oka-san (mom) will take care of it. Just finish your dinner, Kiba nee-san." Said Hana."

Outside of the streets of konoha, Naruto was running as fast as he could to get away from the civilians but he cannot run any further Even the jounins who were eating dinner saw the kid running as well and sprang into action. They knew that if Naruto was attacked by the villagers, it could unleash the fox. The Hokage looked in his crystal ball and saw trouble brewing in the streets as he spots Naruto driven to a corner as the civilians ganged up on him. "Oh, no, if Naruto gets hurt out there… this is bad." He thought to himself. Soon he dispatched the Anbu guards to assist Inuzuka tsume to clear the streets of the civilians before disaster strikes.

"Get the Demon!" Shouted a civilian merchant.

"Kill the brat and make him suffer!" Shouted another civilian. As Naruto tried to escape, it was too late. His path was blocked by the civilians and he had nowhere left to run. Naruto knew what was coming next and he thought to himself, "The village should have seen me as a hero, not the demon. I have to get out of here before I get hurt. Forgive me tou-san, I can't take the horror anymore, my life is over." But Naruto was pinned to the ground and left unable to move. "Let go of me, you civilian scum!" Shouted Naruto. But the civilians won't listen. As more and more civilians approached him, two of them started beating him like crazy with their fists and some of them even spit on him. "We don't want you here you wretched demon!" they shouted as more punches and blows were landed on Naruto. Even some chunins attacked Naruto as well and soon the entire street was flooded with civilians and shinobi holding various weapons and preparing their assault.

Soon a huge mob approached naruto and attacked him brutally. Naruto could see a kunai piercing his leg and some shuriken being thrown at his torso causing blood to pour out. And there were several of them pinned on naruto's back causing him to hurt even more. Naruto was struggling to get up but he was in too much pain to move. Naruto begged from mercy from the villagers, "NO! Please stop, don't hurt me! I am not the demon! Please leave me alone!" Tears streamed down naruto's eyes as the civilians begins to seal his fate. No one had cared about naruto in his life and he feels as if though death would happen to him in an instant. "Die Demon!" yelled a chunin as he aimed his kunai knife at naruto. All of a sudden...

A large, black one-eyed dog stopped the Kunai knife from piercing Naruto and the woman who followed him sent the chunin shinobi flying from the poor kid. She had upside down triangle marks on her face and wolf-like teeth, wearing a jounin vest, and Naruto recognized her face and the dog, it was Inuzuka Tsume and her canine companion, Kuromaru. He was struggling to walk over to them but due to his injuries, he collapsed to the ground. As Naruto opened his eyes, he could still see the Inuzuka matriarch and her dog that blocked him from harm and smiled, "Tsu…. Tsume oka-san, please…. Help….. me." He said weakly, and he gave her the thumbs up as a signal to get him out of danger. Tsume looked at Naruto in his eyes and she had that concerned look in her eyes, "What is naruto doing wandering the streets at night he should have been back in the orphanage. The poor kid, I need to save him before its too late." She thought to herself.

As Tsume walked past the crowd towards naruto, she saw that he suffered severe injuries to his arm, leg, torso, and back from the shurikens, kunai knives and other weapons that were thrown at him or had pierced his body like he was used as a practice dummy. She knew the source of the injuries had to have come from the civilians and from the various chunins, as she looked at Naruto and smiled at him as she thought, "Hang in there pup, I'll help you out of this mess after I take care of the civilians here. Just relax, okay? You are doing great, Naruto." She then turned to the civilians and shouted, "How dare you! Who do you think you are, harming this poor innocent child who is trying to become the hero of Konoha? Haven't you done enough damage already?" She looked at Naruto who was trying to cling on to her as if his life depended on it and at that moment, she knew Naruto needed protection from the civilians and he begs for her to not let them harm him anymore. He slowly crawled past the mob, stood up, and hid behind Kuromaru for protection. Tsume realized that he had just left the orphanage because of the unsanitary conditions and not many people there caring for this kid. As Tsume waled over to her canine companion, she picked Naruto up and hugged him for being brave enough to hang on to life, and she pushed past the crowd of civilians and escaped the mob. But before she left, she frowned at the civilians and growled at them, "You guys just don't get it do you? Do you know what sort of danger you had unleashed onto this kid?"

One of the civilians said to her, "But Inuzuka-sama, you don't understand. That boy is the demon and he could destroy us all, it needs to be killed so that it won't harm us anymore. We would give you the pleasure to finish him off yourself."

But Tsume didn't see the boy as the demon. In fact, she sees him as nothing more than a normal child who needed lots of love and a family to care for him. "From what I see, he is not the demon but the fox itself is. If he had unleashed that, then the village will be in danger. Sorry but I will not allow this child to be in harm's way any longer and I will be the first to adopt naruto because he needs people to accept him for who he is and not the monster. He is the hero of konoha just like his father, the 4th hokage." she replied. Everyone was shocked with her seriousness about adopting Naruto. Even Kuromaru agreed with her plan because he knew that this sweet innocent kid didn't deserve to suffer such torture and pain.

The civilians were shocked at that and a merchant stepped out and said, "You can't be serious! You are actually adopting the demo-

Tsume grabbed the civilian merchant with an iron-like grip while placing Naruto onto the ground next to Kuromaru and said to the merchant, "You call the boy demon again, I will make sure that your flesh and bones will be offered to Kuromaru and my clan's pups. That kid needs to live a better life in Konoha and not in the orphanage. You've made him suffer too much. He deserves to live his life as a shinobi and none of you will take his dream away of being a Hokage of Konoha!" She snarled. The civilians were shaken in fear by that threat so they had backed off. Soon the Anbu arrived and heard the chaos. They approached Tsume who had just saved Naruto amidst the shouting of civilians. So, within minutes after they arrived, they dispersed the streets of the civilians and inspected Naruto's wounds. Also present is Hatake kakashi, the copycat ninja. As he saw the injured boy, he walked up to her and then he carefully examined the extent of his injuries while removing the shurikens and kunai knives from Naruto's body. Despite the blood oozing from him and his strength down to less than half, the kid was lucky that he survived.

"Inuzuka-Sama, is Naruto all right? What is the kid's condition?" Asked Kakashi.

Tsume looked at him and said, 'Naruto has cuts on his torso, arms, legs, back, and even his chest and abdomen from the kunai knives and the shurikens that were thrown at him by the civilians, but he is lucky to have survived that attack. If there were anymore thrown at him, naruto would be one step closer to death and his chances of survival would fall." Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief, but he was angered at what the civilians had done to him and even thinks about how Obito had died. "Damn those civilians, how dare they harm a poor defenseless kid like that! They will regret this!"

The Hokage looked in the crystal ball and sees kakashi and Tsume both saving the boy's life. He breathed a sigh of relief but was disgusted at what the civilians did. He still feels that his adoptive grandson was in grave danger needed protection. Sarutobi was furious. "Those civilians will pay dearly for what they did to naruto!" So he called upon his secretary to inform her to set up a meeting immediately in his office and he requests that the elders and the rest of the clan family members to show up at the meet. "This is bad; I had better inform the medics about naruto's condtion and have them start emergency treatment on him right away." He thought to himself. And he immediately called for Tsunade to get to the hospital right away and heal naruto's injuries.

Soon, the Anbu team had dispersed the streets of civilians and arrested most of them for harming a kid and went to inform the Hokage that Tsume Inuzuka had saved Naruto's life and he is on the way to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. After the Hokage read the report, he thanked the Anbu and dismisses them from his office and put them in charge of guarind the streets of konoha. At the hospital, naruto opened his eyes and sees the woman that had saved him from the civilian mob who attacked him in the streets. He whispered quietly but weakly, "Who… who are you? And what is this place?"

Tsume looked at Naruto with a concerned look on his face and said to him, 'My name is Inuzuka Tsume, the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan and I specialize in animal care and the mother of Kiba and Hana Inuzuka. You are lucky that you didn't suffer further injuries, pup. I found you unconscious on the streets of Konoha bleeding. What those civilians did to you out there was totally unacceptable. What's your name by the way? You look all beat up out there and didn't I tell you not to go out into the streets alone?" she said to him with a worried look.

Naruto looked at her and said, 'My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I vow to become future hokage of Konohagakure one day and my dream is to stop the civilians from hurting me or harassing me. I left the orphange because I feel that the people there didn't give me the proper care I needed. So I moved out and need to live in someplace safe where I won't have to be in harm's way and… Ow! These wounds are hurting me too much, please save me!" As he said those last words, he was moaning in pain due to his serious injuries and had lost consciousness. "Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me? Open your eyes!" called Tsume. But Naruto did not respond. Tsume was worried, and she gently placed Naruto on her shoulders and said to him, "Hang in there, pup! We'll be at the hospital soon, don't die yet!" Soon they arrived in the hospital and the medics placed him on the stretcher and took him to the treatment room 1 where Tsunade was. Soon they carefully removed the remaining shurikens and kunai knives from Naruto's body. They also placed gauze pads and antiseptic on his wounds to control the bleeding and to speed up the healing process. Once it was done, Tsunade used her healing chakra on Naruto and stablized him and then there were bandages placed on naruto. Finally the nurses moved him to a recovery area. Soon after, naruto had woke up to see bandages on him and he did not know what happened to him. Soon, the door opened and he quickly sat up. "Who's there? Please don't hurt me." he said worriedly. And sure enough, Tsume and her canine comapnion came in to see Naruto. He was still in shock but breathed a sigh of relief when he sees his saviors that saved him from the civilians.

Tsume walked into his room and sat down next to him. "It's all right now, no one will hurt you anymore. I'm right here, pup. Are you okay?" she said.

Naruto saw the woman that came into his room and smiled, "I know you! You are that girl that rescued me from the civilians, right? I really owe you one and your dog too, thanks a million for saving my life."

Tsume smiled at him, "I see that you have regained your strength back, but no long walks for you for a few days or so. But I am glad that you are okay and your healing is going well. Anyway I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine who also saved your life back there." She said. And she called her longtime canine companion, Kuromaru into the room. "Come here, there is someone that I would like you to meet." She said to her companion. As Kuromaru arrived, he quickly jumped onto the bed licking naruto's face and naruto was happy that he had someone keeping him comfortable for the night as the dog laid next to his bedside.

"Man, pup, you are one lucky hyperactive ninja to have survived that attack." Said Kuromaru. He admonished the thought but smiled at naruto for being brave and having the courage to keep out of harm's way. Naruto was surprised that the dog was talking to him and he said, "What? who's there? Who said that?"

"I'm right here in front of you, Naruto. It was me that was talking. I am Kuromaru, by the way." replied the dog.

Naruto was shocked to see the dog staring at him face to face and screamed, "Ahhhhhhh! N-n-n-no, it can't be! A talking dog? There's just no way that dogs can talk like that!"

Tsume sweat-dropped and watched with amusement at the same time, "I can see you already know each other and with you not understanding that animals can communicate with humans. Oh boy, this will take a while." she thought to herself.

"What? You never seen a talking dog before? Honestly, the trouble you put yourself through." said Kuromaru with a disappointing stare at Naruto.

"No, it's just that I feel so much better communicating with animals and I am just a bit surprised is all." replied naruto with a nervous smile.

"Good grief, some humans have problems adjusting to the unexpected, especially young children." continued the dog.

"HEY! That was completely unnecessary! But anyway, thanks for saving my life back there, Kuromaru-san, I owe you my life." replied Naruto.

the dog showed a smile on his face and licked the blonde in appreciation.

"So tell me, pup. Is recognizing animals talking the only thing that you know as of now?" asked Tsume.

"The one thing? I have knowledge of other things except for learning new techniques on scrolls and chakra control, which I am not good at." replied Naruto.

Tsume was happy that Naruto knew a lot of things, but she was worried about him and was concerned about his safety. So she had decided to teach Naruto some of her clan's techniques and help him with chakra control after Naruto graduates from the academy.

"I really wanted to thank you, Tsume oka-san for saving my life and you too Kuromaru-san. I wanted to be in a place where people can protect me so that I won't be in danger as much. Oh and one more thing, oka-san, I hope that you can take me to the hokage if its not too much trouble. He did mention something about me being adopted and that I need a family to protect and support me." Said naruto.

As Naruto got out of bed he tried to walk by himself out of the room but he was still in pretty bad shape. Tsume got up, grabbed a hold of Naruto and said to him, "I'm afraid that you are in no condition to be walking now. You need some rest, pup." And she placed naruto back in bed. "Oh yeah, the Hokage did say that you needed to be adopted."

"I am? But where is this adoption process going to be held?" asked naruto.

"He said the meet will take place at his office in the Hokage tower. Get some rest, naruto, The Hokage will come by tomorrow and visit you. Tsunade-sama and the nurses will check on your recovery progress and within a week, you should be back to full strength." Said Tsume. And she left his room followed by her companion, who winked a smile at him. Naruto waved at them and went back to bed.

**One Week later...**

Tsunade had come in to check up on Naruto and she was surprised at how well he had recovered from his injuries. The Kyubii had healed most of his wounds but however, she was still concerned as she removed the bandages. There were still some scars on his back that has not been completely healed yet. As she checked his arms and legs, she finds that they were healed, but his torso,and his chest, were still in bad shape. She took the bandaids off and used some of her ehaling chakra to speed up his healing process. Then she redressed the wound again. As naruto woke up, he finds tsunade next to him. "Baa-chan, were you the one that had cured my injuries? I am so grateful that you have saved my life." he said. As he tried to get up and tried to walk, he was still crippled from his injuries. He still had that deep wound on his stomach which prevented him from moving. "Looks like I won't be able to walk around for a few days, huh?"

"Nope, it may be a week or so before you are back to full strength. So, no long walks for you anytime soon, brat." Said Tsunade. She sat down next to him and smiled. "This is one tough kid, still able to cling to life after being attacked by the civilians and left for dead. Poor kid, you must have suffered too much pain, huh? This must be exactly how I felt when I lost Dan and Nawaki, and they were so precious to me." She thought to herself. As she looked at naruto, she feels that naruto had really meant a lot to her and Konoha. As tears streamed down her eyes, naruto looked at her, confused. "Baa-chan, why are you crying?"

"Oh Naruto! I'm so sorry; I had suffered a lot of pain just like you did without family or people to care for me. You must have felt the same way right? You really are special to me, Naruto, just like you are to all the people in Konoha And I know that Sarutobi was the first to acknowledge you and had taken great care of you. And you will have me to take care of you as well, don't worry, I'm not going to let you suffer anymore pain, not anymore. I will protect you with my life." said Tsunade. She immediately embraced Naruto in a hug. Naruto looked at her with a smile but tears had came to his eyes as well. He couldn't bear to suffer pain any longer as he hugged Tsunade. She was one of the most precious people that mean a lot to him.

In the week that Naruto spent for recuperation in the hospital, he would sometimes have visitors to check on him to see how his condition was and also the nurses to redress and change his wounds. After a while. The Hokage arrived at the hospital and went to check on naruto. As he arrived at naruto's room. He sat down next to him at his bedside.

"Hey Ojii-san, what brings you here?" Asked Naruto.

"I came to check to see how you were doing, and I see that your recovery went well, you were lucky, Naruto. I came to talk to you about the day that the Kyubii attacked Konoha and how your father saved the village by sealing the demon within you."

"You knew about the Kyubii and my father? Why did he have to pick me?" Asked a surprised naruto.

The Hokage looked at him without saying anything about the Yondaime and what he had done, he then said to Naruto, "I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier because I wanted to keep it a secret. I know that deep down within you there is a sad little boy who needs love, family and friends that would care deeply for you. You have me who cares about you a lot too." And he embraced naruto in a hug while mussing his hair. "It's okay now Naruto, nothing will happen to you anymore. You will have people who will take great care of you, I promise you that on my life."

Naruto looked at the Hokage and said, "You… you mean it? You are really going to let me be adopted?" The hokage looked at him and smiled, "Yes naruto, I would like for you to meet people that will be adopting you once you get out of the hospital. You will be meeting them in my office at the Hokage tower." Said the Hokage.

As Naruto looked in the hokage's eyes, tears started to stream down his face as he embraced the Hokage who was like a grandfather to him. "Ji-ji, thank you so much!" He wept as the Hokage hugged him, something that Naruto never had in his life while he was in Konoha. Afterwards, naruto left the hospital with the help of the Hokage carrying him to his tower where he would meet people that would adopt him and treat him as family.

**And… Cut. That would be the end of the first chapter. I know this is seemingly long but I will begin the second chapter next week entitled "A New family" But I will have more ideas for you as I continue this fan fiction. As always peace out and I'll see you next week.**

Combatally12


	2. Chapter 2: A New family

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

By Combatally12

Note: As always I do not own Naruto or its disclaimers but in this chapter, Naruto is now released from the hospital and he is now starting his new life with his new family: the clansmen of Konoha. Also, Naruto is introduced to his family and they talk about their special techniques to him.

Chapter 2: Meeting new family members

We left off on where naruto had gotten a special visitor, the Third Hokage to visit Naruto while he was in the hospital. Today, Naruto is released from the hospital by the Hokage and taken to the Hokage tower where he will meet some of the clan members that will adopt him and make him a part of their family. And now, I give you Family for Naruto

"You knew about the Kyubii and my father?" asked a surprised naruto.

"Of course, I wanted to keep it a secret so that the villagers will be able to see you as a hero and not as the demon. But I can't reveal too much info about this to you. Your dream is to be Hokage of Konoha one day just like your father, right? And I know that deep down within you that there is a sad little boy who needs love, family, and friends that would care deeply for you, I have always acknowledged you and you are like a grandson to me and I will take great care of you, especially your new family and Iruka as well." Said the Hokage. He embraced naruto in a hug and said, "It's okay now Naruto, nothing will happen to you and I promise you, you will never be lonely and I will not allow the civilians to harm you anymore."

Naruto looked at him with tears in his eyes and said to him, "You… you really mean it?"

The Hokage nodded and had asked him to come to the Hokage Tower to meet people that will be adopting him once he gets out of the hospital. He could only let a few tears fell from his eyes as Naruto embraced the Hokage with a fierce hug for the first time in his life. "Ojii-san really does care a lot about me and I vowed to protect my grandfather figure with my life." naruto thought to himself.

0o0o0o0o0

As Naruto left the hospital, he looked at the Hokage confused and asked him, "Who was my father? Did you know him, Ojii-San? And why did he choose me as his successor to seal the kyubii inside of me?"

The Hokage looked at him and said, "Your father, Minato Namikaze, was the 4th Hokage who saved and protected Konoha from the kyubii, he chose you to be his candidate because he feels that you will carry on his legacy just like he did and he wants you to protect konoha with your life. Also, he wanted me to take care of you because you are the legacy of the fourth Hokage and you have inherited his strength." The Hokage said.

"I… I am the hero and the successor of my father the 4th Hokage? Why didn't anyone tell me this?" Asked naruto.

"Because I wanted to keep this a secret from anyone in or out of the village. Tell me something, Naruto. You did want to be Hokage someday right? You wanted the village to stop harassing you and you wanted to be treated like a normal person and not as the demon. The only people that did acknowledge you was me, Iruka, and of course the clan heirs of Konoha." Replied the Hokage.

"How did you know this?" naruto asked, but he was not convinced as to how he could be the hero of his father, Minato Namikaze. But the Hokage did not reply to his question. He simply read Naruto like a book and knows what is going on inside of his mind. After all, he was still too young to remember what happened on the day the Kyubii attacked. Naruto was still trying to ponder this question and with a few minutes, they both arrived at the tower entrance where the Anbu guards are waiting. 'Good morning, Hokage-sama, how's Naruto's recovery going?" asked the Anbu guards.

"Well, he's recovering well, but he's still hurting a little, but he was lucky to have survived. I really wanted to thank you guys for saving his life back there. If his life had been in any further danger, then he would have surely died out there." replied the Hokage who was holding onto Naruto. As the Anbu watched, they noticed that Naruto still had some bandages covering him but there were still a little bit of blood seeping out. "Are you all right, Naruto-san? Are those injuries still hurting you?" asked the female anbu guard.

"It still hurts a little, but I'll be okay. It could take a while for me to recover from what the civilians had done to me." replied Naruto.

The guards were concerned about the kid's safety and to ensure protection for him, two of them carefully escorted Naruto to the tower and the Hokage followed afterwards. Naruto thanked the guards for escorting him to the tower afterwards.

Once Naruto and the Hokage arrived in the tower, they had entered his office where many of the civilian members of the council and the elders of konoha were waiting. As the civilians looked at Naruto, they had the killer intent in their eyes as to why naruto wasn't killed. Naruto had fear in his eyes as he looked at the civilians and hiding behind the old man at the same time as he ignored them. As Koharu and Homura saw naruto with the hokage, they said to him, "Hey naruto-san, and thank you for arriving on such short notice. How are you feeling now after your confrontation with the civilians?"

"My recovery is doing well, but I still feel really groggy and my injuries still hurts a little. But I'll be okay. Thank you Homura-san, Koharu-san." Said naruto politely. As the Hokage sat down at his desk he could already hear the civilians' shout of "Kill the Demon! Get him out of our village!" which caused him to bang his fists on his desk setting off shockwaves all across the room sending books, scrolls and papers onto the floor and the windows breaking. The force of the banging had silenced the room. The Hokage turned and saw Naruto hiding behind Iruka.

"Its okay Naruto, you can come out now." The Hokage said.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down on the couch waiting for his family to show up. As he looked around the room he could see that the civilian members of the council had those killing intent in their eyes so he quickly backed down in fear, but he was calmed down by Kakashi's ninja dogs who were laying on the couch. The civilians turned to the Hokage and said to him, "What is the meaning of this? Why have you brought the kyubii brat here?"

"Naruto-kun is here on behalf of the council so I brought him here to be adopted." The old man replied. He winked at Naruto and smiled at him. Naruto was ready to start a new life with a family that would take him under their wing and teach him techniques to make him a full fledged shinobi. And to his surprise, his secretary arrived in his office while panting to catch his breath. "Hokage-sama, you won't believe this, but the clan family members you have called are here. They heard about Naruto wanting to be adopted and I couldn't stop them from waiting, but they are really anxious to see him!" he said.

"Send them in immediately!" the Hokage ordered. The secretary nodded and left. And sure enough, Aburame Shibi, Inuzuka Tsume, (Whom you already guessed, saved naruto's life.) Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and Hyuga Hiashi arrived within minutes after they were summoned. Also present were Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi. However, there was still one clan member that was missing, Fugaku Uchiha of the Uchiha clan. The Hokage called upon his secretary to find Fugaku, but he was nowhere to be seen. However, Inuzuka Tsume stepped up and said, "Fugaku may still be at home training Sasuke, but I think its best if you send the Anbu to get him here."

The Hokage looked at her and said, "Nah, He'll be here when he's ready, we probably don't want to bother him right now. Naruto will be happy to see him but it would be good for him to meet the Uchihas since he developed a close friendship with Sasuke and also, it would be good for Naruto to have a close relationship with that clan." The other clan members exchanged looks with each other as they heard about naruto's terrifying encounter with the villagers and so they came to a decision; to share the adoption of Naruto. Soon the adoption had turned into a shouting match between the clan members. The Hokage sweat-dropped and sighed, "Oh boy, what did I do to deserve this? How am I supposed to get work done without peace and quiet?"

The shouting match had bothered Naruto, but this had given him an idea. As he got off the couch, he walked up to the Hokage's desk, grabbed a handful of books from the bookshelf and slammed them on the Hokage's desk as hard as he could while Nara Shikakau covered his ears as the entire room's loud noises had turned reticent. The Hokage looked at naruto and smiled. "This kid never ceases to amaze me, and he seemed to have quelled the noise down." He thought to himself. He then went back to the question about Naruto's adoption.

All the clan heirs looked at Naruto for a moment and were confused, "Hokage-sama, Are you sure you want all of us to adopt Naruto, the container of the Kyubii? Didn't he used to have a family of his own? What happened to them?" asked Choza.

"His father, Namikaze Minato sacrificed his life to save the village and sealed the demon inside of his son, Naruto and now he was left under my care after his death. He needs a new family because the civilians attacked him when he was leaving the orphanage and he was bedridden for a few weeks. I brought him here with me because he needs a family to look after him now. Please take care of Naruto and teach him some new techniques that will make him a full fledged shinobi after he graduates from the academy. If the villagers had killed, him, they would be killing Konoha as well and it would be hard for him to be the next hero and future Hokage." replied the Hokage.

"You can't be serious; this child is the fourth Hokage's son? We all know what happened to him when the civilians had abused him. But how do you expect all of us to look after the kid? We're not saying that he is the demon, and yes we all know that he needs lots of love and support, but don't you think he would be too much for us to handle? I mean think about it Hokage-sama, he sees you as his adoptive grandfather and Iruka as his adoptive father, right? What can we do to help the poor kid and how do you want us to support him?" asked Hiashi.

"I appreciate your concerns and your feelings about the kid, but you must know that he was shunned by the villagers. He used to live in the orphanage with no one to neither look after him nor care for him after his parents died. The people there only see him as the demon and threw him out of that place. Not to mention, even the villagers started attacking him and hated him for who he is. Konoha has been terrible to him ever since he was born and he needs a new place to stay where he will be protected 24/7, and that's where you guys come in. The reason I wanted you guys to adopt Naruto was so that you can show him the ropes, have him meet your sons and daughters, and help train him to be a strong shinobi because he tried so hard to get attention and its starting to worry me." Replied the Hokage.

All the clans looked at each other with worried looks for a moment and then went over to see the kid. As Naruto took off his clothes, he revealed his injuries to the clan heirs that the civilians inflicted on him. The clans were shocked at what they saw as there was still deep scarring on his body. "You see this? This is what the villagers had done to me, I wanted to fight back, but I didn't have the strength to and I was so weak." said Naruto sadly. Hiashi held onto the child while examining him, but naruto was a bit scared when someone new touches him. "Naruto, hold still, okay? I'm not going to hurt you, let me take a close look at your injuries." he said.

"Okay, but I will need some assistance though. Can someone please hold onto my arms and the other please hold onto my upper body?" asked Naruto. At that moment Nara Shikaku held Naruto upright while Inuzuka Tsume held onto the boy's arms preventing him from moving. "Hold still, naruto, and try not to move, okay?" they replied to him. The boy nodded and then relaxed for the moment while the Hyuga heir activated his byakugan and examined Naruto's injuries closely. He soon realized that he wasn't the only one angered and disgusted, all the clan family members were disgusted at what the civilian members of the council had done to a poor innocent child. Yet somehow the kid was still young and with him being badly tormented and traumatized had made him suffer too much. The clans were also concerned about Naruto's safety after he was found nearing death in the streets of Konoha. Inuzuka Tsume was also angered at what the civilians had done for hurting the kid, so she approached Naruto and hugged him for his bravery to stand up against the civilians even when his strength was low. Naruto looked at her and he will never forget her for saving his life. Even Shikaku sat down next to naruto and removed the bandages carefully from naruto's body. He then applied some medicine on the kid to help heal up his remaining injuries. Naruto was also being affected by the poison smoke bombs that the civilians threw at him so Shibi sent his bugs into Naruto's body to remove the poison before it could spread. As Naruto eyed the clan heirs for a moment and then the Hokage, "Ojii-San, these are the clansmen of Konoha you sent that wants to adopt me, correct? Can you introduce me to them and what sort of specialties they have so that I am able to get a full understanding of their techniques?" he said.

Before the Hokage could say anything, they heard a loud boom sound and something shattering in the distance. Soon, a man with white hair, wearing gray and red clothes, and having the kanji symbol oil on his head appeared and entered the Hokage's office. He looked at the others in the room and began his introduction, "I am the legendary sannin, the toad sage, and the author of Make-out Violence, Jiraiya. At your service!"

Everyone in the room sweat-dropped, including Naruto and the Hokage. The village elders were not as amused when Jiraiya interrupted the council meeting. Naruto looked at Jiraiya for a moment as he entered the room and shouted, "Ero-Sennin is a pervert! He peeps in the women's baths at the hot springs and--

Jiraiya quickly covered his hand on the boy's mouth preventing him from saying anything about his research for Makeout Paradise. He smiled with embarrassment as he looked at the people around him, "Ah... this brat has some crazy imagination, he doesn't know the value of the work that I am doing, hehe!" He turned to Naruto and shouted, "You damn Baka! Don't you dare give away my secrets! You don't know how much this research means to me! This is my life we are talking about here and you really are ignorant of my research, gaki."

"And you are a lazy sick old codger who never had a girlfriend in his life!" shouted Naruto. This had earned laughter from everyone in the room.

Tsume and Kurenai stormed over to Jiraiya and glared at him, "So, you are the legendary pervert that peeps at women in the hot springs, huh? You got some nerve, you lazy old coot! They raised their fists and gave Jiraiya the worst beating of his life. "And if you ever turn Naruto into a pervert, Kami help us, we will really make your life miserable and we'll find several ways to make you pay dearly. Do we make ourselves clear?" they said to him.

Jiraiya nodded with fear in his eyes and he had to back off, and Naruto looked at the perverted Sannin for a minute and sighed, " If you keep peeping at women, you are never going to get them to like you, ero-sennin."

"Tch! Troublesome pervert." replied Shikaku. The others around him laughed at the toad sannin as he went to a corner, feeling embarrassed and said, "Why do I always get rejected like this?"

The Hokage turned around and said, "Ahem, we seemed to be off topic here. Why don't you guys take Naruto to the park to let him know that he will be adopted while I take care of Jiraiya here?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Said Tsume. The others agreed and Naruto left with them. As the door closed behind them, they took Naruto to the training field area 7 where he can get to know his family better and to learn about the clan family members and their techniques. The first one to begin was a lazy genius just like his son and was a bit of an alcoholic; he had scars on his face and wears a jacket that covers his body. Naruto knew that from the looks of this man, he was a kind and gentle person that cares for his family but gets whipped by his wife a lot.

"I am Shikaku Nara of the Nara clan; I specialize in raising deer and using their antlers to make medicine to cure illnesses and ailments in Konoha. I use shadows as my techniques and the most powerful one is the shadow neck bind technique which can easily strangle people in one blow. Nice to meet you Naruto. Me and my son will teach you all the basics of strategizing to beat various opponents." He shook the boy's hand and Naruto seems to have taken an interest in him. "Shikaku tou-san may be lazy and caring, but he is part slug." Naruto said to himself. Shikaku smiled at Naruto and thought, "Man, how on earth did Naruto ended up with me? I would love to teach him the basics of Shogi and Go, and my son seems to be really good at it. He beats Asuma every time he plays with him. Maybe naruto can take lessons from me and Shikamaru."

Akimichi Choza was up next and like Shikaku, he was a kind and gentle man and has deep concern for his son Choji and even Naruto too and cares about their safety. He dislikes anyone who calls him or Choji "fatso" and they can easily lose their temper over this. Naruto tries to resist not calling the man fat and will prevent anyone from badmouthing his family. "My name is Choza Akimichi of the Akimichi clan and we like to eat things because we have a big appetite. You may think we are fat, but we are chubby, and chubbies rule. Great to meet you, Naruto." As Naruto shook his hand, he felt it a little bit uneasy but he didn't care. Naruto hasn't been eating as much since he was bedridden in the hospital.

"Nice to meet you Choza-sama. I haven't been able to eat anything since I was stuck in the hospital for a few weeks. These days I have been only able to eat broth and water and ice cream. I wasn't able to swallow solid food for weeks." Said Naruto. Choza looked at Naruto with a smile on his face. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that you'll have a big appetite, but we won't start with solid foods yet. We'll start with soup and go from there, is that okay with you, Naruto?" he asked him. Naruto nodded happily and said, 'Sure, I am really hungry and I need a big appetite." Choza was impressed at how Naruto expressed appreciation in foods and laughed, but still, he knew the pain that Naruto had gone through and why the village had hated him so much and decided to come up with a plan to ease his pain.

Next was Inuzuka Tsume, who, like all inuzuka clan members, she was a sweet and gentle woman but she is tough and cares for her family. When she looked at Naruto after they met she starts to change. There was a flashback that came to her about how Naruto was badly injured by the civilians. She had a sad look on her face and she will never forget that fateful day when she found Naruto.

Flashback:

"_Go away, demon, we don't want you here! Shouted a civilian._

"_You shall die in our hands!" Another civilian said._

_Naruto was trapped and had nowhere left to go and he knew what was coming up next, the death sentence for him. But before the civilians could launch another deadly attack on naruto, Tsume stepped in with Kuromaru and found Naruto badly injured and crying too. "If the civilians keep attacking Naruto like this, he won't make it and death could happen at any moment." She thought to herself. She immediately picked Naruto up and moved him out of the crowd of civilians before he could suffer any more injuries._

"_Great, Tsume, now we give you the pleasure of finishing off the demon yourself." said the civilian._

_But Tsume didn't want to kill Naruto. He was such a sweet, innocent, little kid. She really liked him and wanted to adopt him. But as she looked at his injuries, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid. _

_"Sorry but this kid is special to me and I will not let you harm him anymore. I will be adopting him." replied Tsume._

_The civilian merchant came up to her and said, "You can't be serious! You are actually adopting the demo-"_

_Tsume grabbed the merchant and lifted him up by his throat with her iron-like grip hands and said to him, "You dare call him demon again; I'll make sure that your bones and flesh will be offered to my clan's pups. What you did to him today was absolutely unforgivable. This kid is precious to Konoha and to me, and if you want to get rid of him, you'll have to go through me and Kuromaru first, now GET OUT OF MY WAY!" the civilians were shocked at that and decided it was pointless to continue arguing with her._

_Kyubii suddenly appeared in naruto's mind and said to him, __**"You okay kid? You are definitely not looking too good."**_

_Naruto looked at him and said, "Of course I am not well, where do you think these injuries came from? I am going to die if I don't get to the hospital!"_

_Kyubii looked at him with a smile and said, __**"You are still lucky to be breathing, kid, but I hope you can survive."**_

'_What do you mean, you hope I can survive? Just heal my injuries you damn fox!" shouted Naruto to the fox. And with that, the fox disappeared and Naruto woke up and saw the woman and a dog who was with him when the civilians attacked him. He smiled at her and said, "Who are you? Thanks for saving my life, I own you one, but I…need…help!" Naruto was weakened due to his injures and was out cold with tears in his eyes, desperately needing medical attention._

_The Anbu had arrived and when they spotted Tsume Inuzuka holding Naruto in her hands and Kuromaru behind her, they knew that something was seriously wrong with Naruto and had recommended her to take him to the hospital immediately._

_As they arrived at the hospital, Naruto had already underwent treatment and then sent to the recovery room. Tsume and her canine companion, Kuromaru sat down next to his bedside holding his hands and mussing his hair hoping that naruto would recover from his injuries._

End flashback.

"Tsume baa san, are you okay? Is something wrong?" Asked Naruto.

As Tsume approached naruto, she smiled at him and said, "No, no I'm okay, thanks. Anyway, do you remember who I am and my companion here that saved your life?" Naruto looked at the dog that approached him and licking his face, he felt comforted by Kuromaru as he pets him on the head. 'I remember you; you were the one that protected me from danger, right? Nice to meet you, Kuromaru-san!" said Naruto. And he shook the dog's paws as a sign of friendship. As he looked at Tsume, he smiled at her and said, "You must be Inuzuka Tsume, the one that saved my life as well, right? Thanks so much, Tsume baa san, I owe you one big time! You use dogs to help fight off bad guys right? I just love dogs and it makes me think that I want to have a dog of my own one of these days." Said Naruto.

Tsume smiled at him and continued, "I'm glad that you remembered me and Kuromaru and yes, I use dogs to help fight alongside with me. I possess the techniques that both my son and daughter have and I also have many more combination attacks with my pets. Now, you make think I am scary and all, but not that much. So don't you worry, I will be strict on your training regiment, okay?" Naruto knew that Kuromaru had been with her for a long time and he will get along just fine with Tsume and her canine companions and her family as well.

Next up, a man, with sunglasses and wearing an overcoat approached naruto, but as Naruto shook his hand, he realized that it was an insect clone, and he realized that the man had snuck up behind him. The next thing that Naruto knew was that there a swarm of bugs resting on him. Naruto wondered how the leader of the Aburame clan snuck up behind him and placed the bugs on his body, but he didn't take much notice of it. The man introduced himself, "I am Aburame Shibi of the Aburame clan, my clan relies on bugs and we use them to fend off attackers. Naruto looked at him and had a little fear of insects and other bugs. "This guy's a bit spookier than Shino. Bur from the looks of his shades, I should be able to get along with him without any problems." He thought to himself. Naruto looked at the back of the man and saw a gourd that he carries with him.

"What's that thing on your back?" Asked naruto, he was curious to know what that gourd holds. He never knew that the Aburame clan heir had a gourd on his back, but he did know that Gaara of Suna had a gourd on his back containing sand that he uses to fend off enemies.

"Oh, you mean this gourd? This gourd is where I store kikaichu bugs that I find from the insect forest and keep here. We used these bugs as our primary weapon to paralyze any enemy in sight. Just so you know, I am a self-possessed figure, and a pride of the Aburame heir." Said Shibi. He looked at Naruto with a smile as he shook the kid's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Aburame-sama." Said Naruto. And he shook his hand. The bugs had gotten off naruto and went back into the man's gourd after they gave the kid the heartwarming hand shake. Naruto felt that today was going to get better and better with people that will see him as a hero of Konoha. Tsume and Shikaku looked at naruto and thought, "This kid may be a troublesome blonde, but he is such a sweet kid. The 4th Hokage had done well taking care of him, and don't worry, Minato. We will do the same thing to keep Naruto safe from harm. But he still needs a place of his own to live that will border our residences."

Finally, a man wearing a robe with long hair approached Naruto. The hyuga clan were known for its use of the 8 trigrams palm rotation and the Byakugan. He had many other techniques and he was proud to be the Hyuga clan heir. As he approached Naruto, he activates the Byakugan and examined the kid's body to make sure that he didn't have any other injuries that could impact his movement, and he was relieved. "I am Hyuga Hiashi, father of Hinata and Hanabi Hyuga, and the uncle of Hyuga Neji, who also possesses the same techniques as I do. I heard about your confrontation with the civilians and the terrible outcomes that you had with them as well. You do have a strange power; you know that, right, Naruto? Hokage-sama told me about the kyubii that was sealed inside of you. I have seen these powers with my own eyes. And with the power that you have so far, I am amazed to say that you didn't use the Kyubii's chakra to attack the civilians, and I know this because you are not under the influence of the monster inside of you." Said Hiashi.

"You knew about the Kyubii and my special powers?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Yes, and so do the rest of the clans here, because you are a special person who possess powers unimaginable. But understand this, Naruto, the Hyuga clan will make you stronger and you will be adopted by us and you also need to learn chakra control. But since you are so young, controlling chakra will be new to you and will take time, but you'll know more about that later on as you get older." Said Hiashi, smiling at Naruto. It was the first time that the leader of the Hyuga clan that showed his true smile towards a sweet innocent kid. Hiashi wasn't even a normal shinobi and he wasn't a villager. He knew that if the civilians had killed Naruto, it would be foolish and the fox could be released.

At long last, Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan arrived at the park where the others were. As he saw Naruto, he also knew about the special powers he had inside of him, "So that's the kid who is the container of the kyubii, huh? He will make a great addition to my family." He thought to himself. As he approached Naruto, he said, "Hi, sorry I was late, I had to help Sasuke refine and honing his skills at his fireball jutsus. I also apologize for not being at the Hokage's office earlier. I am Fugaku Uchiha, the father of Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. Nice to finally meet you, Naruto. And he shook Naruto's hand. Naruto looked at his eyes, and he knew that the Uchiha clan possesses the sharingan, which Madara Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake has. He smiled at him and said, "Nice to meet you too, Fugaku-sama."

Finally Naruto was introduced to Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi Hatake, and Asuma Sarutobi, the jounin instructors. They will be helping Naruto to the best of their abilities as he spends more time with his new family.

"So, the Hokage tells me that all of you will be adopting me and making me a part of your family, right?" asked naruto with a smile.

"That's right, Naruto. The Hokage told us everything that had happened to you, but don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe with us. You will be adopted by all of us and we shall set up a schedule of your training once you graduate from the academy. Then we shall make you a full fledged shinobi of Konoha. You will understand that your training will be a tough one, but we are all confident that you can handle it, right?" said Choza.

Naruto was surprised to hear that he was officially welcomed and adopted by the clans of Konoha. He felt a lot happier and excited as he said to them, "Yatta! Thank you so much! This means a lot to me!" The clans smiled at Naruto and welcomed him into their life. They will also introduce their sons and daughters to naruto as he adjusts his new life in Konoha. As the Hokage and Jiraiya looked in the crystal ball, they couldn't help but smiled at him, "Look at that, Sarutobi-sama, naruto has already warmed up to his new family now, he is just like his father, Minato, but I think that with this book, the icha-icha paradise, he will bound to have fun with me and learn to attract women!" Sarutobi sweat-dropped and thought, "I knew you would act like this. You haven't matured and you haven't changed on the inside at all."

"Jiraiya," Sarutobi said in a weary tone, "What have I told you? He is still too young to date women, especially at his age. Don't you dare corrupt naruto's mind or else Tsume and Kurenai will find several ways to make you pay dearly, you sick old codger." Jiraya had backed down and was disgusted, he knew that if naruto's mind was corrupted by the pervert, there would be disastrous consequences so he decided not to interfere. The hokage smiled at naruto as he looked into the crystal ball, "That naruto will make a fine addition to Konoha. You have done well, Minato, Naruto will be just fine with us and he's in great hands."

And with that, Naruto felt happy being adopted by his new family in Konoha, it was hard at first for him, but he got used to it and he felt a lot happier now that his sadness and loneliness was gone. He also had one last person that took great care of him, Umino Iruka, the academy instructor. Naruto cared deeply for Iruka because he was the father figure that Naruto never had. Iruka was always there for naruto when he needed help the most. Iruka thought to himself, "Naruto will be on the path to becoming an excellent shinobi; I'll make sure he does his best and make sure he gets acquainted with his new friends."

**And that will do it for this chapter. I know this seems to be long but it took me a while to get all the ideas I need for this chapter. I had spent a lot of time on this and it wasn't an easy one for me. Please let me know what you think of this and give me a review. I would love some feedback on this chapter. I'll see you all next week and as always, Peace out. **

Combatally12


	3. Chapter 3: Adoption

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Note: As always, I don't own Naruto or its disclaimers.

Hey! Naruto fans. I know you have been waiting a week for this one. In the previous chapter. Naruto was introduced to his new family and given a chance to learn the family clan's secret techniques so he can get a chance to learn them if he wants to be a full fledged shinobi. Naruto is also given a new name in this chapter. And now without further ado, on with the show.

Chapter 3: Naruto's adoption

Previously on Naruto…

"Jiraiya." Sarutobi said in a weary tone. "What have I told you? Naruto is too young to date women; you could easily corrupt his mind, you know that? And besides, Naruto has deep respects for women and girls unlike you, Jiraiya. And Tsume and Kurenai would easily find several ways of making you pay dearly and they would beat you to a pulp, you sick old codger."

Frustrated, Jiraiya decided to back down for now. He knew that if Naruto was turned into a pervert, it could lead to disastrous results so he decided not to interfere. As the Hokage looked into the crystal ball, he smiled at Naruto, "That kid will make a great addition to Konoha. You have done well, Minato. Naruto is in good hands, and I promise you, we will make him a fine ninja and we will take great care of him. We won't let you down, Minato, we'll make sure he's well-fed, well trained, and fully respected by Konoha." He thought.

And with that, Naruto had became a lot happier and he wasn't as lonely as much. With his new family figure in Konoha, his sadness and loneliness was gone. And also, he had one more person that acknowledged him and didn't see him as a monster; it was Umino Iruka, the academy instructor who understood about how naruto had felt and the pain he had gone through. He remembered that his parents were also killed by the fox and he didn't blame Naruto for it, he sees him as a child who needed love and attention just like the clans of Konoha said. Iruka would do anything to give his life to protect Naruto as he gets older. "Naruto, you have became a fine young man." thought Iruka.

0o0o0o0o0

After the clans had finished introducing themselves to Naruto, the container of the Kyubii, he seemed to be more than satisfied with his new family and feels that his life would be changed forever. With that he in his mind, the clans said to him, "All right, Naruto-san, now that you know about us, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Of course, what would you like to know about me?" asked Naruto.

"Well, we wanted to know your likes, dislikes, and your favorite hobbies and dreams." replied Tsume.

"It's nice to officially meet all of you, I am Uzumaki Naruto and my dream is to become Hokage of Konohagakure one day. I like all different kinds of food, meet new friends and adopting a pet one day. My dislikes is the villagers harassing me and I want them to stop their nonsense. I also want them to make my life easier instead of tearing it apart because my life is already turning to a nightmare. This may still haunt me for the rest of my life but I don't want to suffer anymore pain and I want to live a normal life in Konoha. I want the village to see me as a hero and not as the demon, but half the villagers don't give a damn about me. I wanted you guys to protect me and ensure my safety in Konoha, so is that why you guys wanted to adopt me?" Said Naruto.

"Yes, and from what we saw, we can tell that your life was completely ruined. And we agreed to protect you with our life, that is one reason why we want to adopt you. the second thing was that we need to adopt you so that you could meet our sons and daughters who will also be part of your life and you can think of them as part of your family. Plus you'll be able to get to know them better as you make friends with them." said Inoichi.

"What I wanted to know is why did you leave the orphanage? Is it because of the troublesome people that wouldn't take care of you?" asked Shikaku. He was curious to know why Naruto gave up on that place. He was certain that Naruto didn't like that place due to unsanitary conditions so he came up with a plan to let Naruto live with him and with the rest of his family, including Iruka's place.

"Well, for starters, that orphanage place was a dump and no one in there would take care of me and no matter what I do to get them to help me with things, they just ignore me because of this Kyubii inside of me. Second, I wanted to live somewhere where I wanted people to take good care of me, and to have friends take me under their wing and provide support and assistance as needed. And I know that you guys will take good care of me, right? Please, do what you can to make my life easier." Said Naruto.

The clan heads looked at Naruto for a moment and weren't concerned at first, but they now understood that this kid had been alone all his life since the Kyubii attack on Konoha and the death of the Yondaime. They knew that if Naruto had no one to care for him or if he didn't have any friends, than his dream of being Hokage would never happen. Naruto's only family was the Hokage and Iruka, who became his adoptive grandfather and adoptive father because they were the first to acknowledge him and made him a part of their life. And also, if the clans were to adopt him, than he would be able to learn their techniques and be able to face enemies from Oto, Suna, and many other villages who are a threat to Konoha because like naruto, Gaara also has a monster deep inside of him and the village of Suna mistreated him and he didn't have any friends nor anyone to care for him because the family that Gaara had was all gone. Gaara had only one objective: to kill any people that he comes across because he despises anybody who try to threaten him or harm him in any way. As for the clans of Konoha, training Naruto would be difficult because of chakra control and his bloodline limit. So they had another plan for Naruto: they all share his adoption and his name would be changed.

"Well, naruto, here's the plan. We will all share in adopting you so that you can learn our techniques and in time you'll be a strong shinobi of Konoha. Once that happens, we'll start setting up your training regiment before you graduate from the academy. You will also need to learn about chakra control and creating kage bushins while you are in the academy. Second, your adoptive mother, Tsume will help you anyway possible so that you would be able to learn her clan's techniques. and we will also help you as well, you won't be doing this on your own, our sons and daughters will help you too." said Inoichi.

"So you are saying that I should learn about basic chakra control and its use right? I didn't know that you had to use chakra when you unleash secret techniques. I guess I can start with that. Also, does Hokage-sama know that I am going to be adopted?" asked naruto.

"Well, yes, sometimes we shinobi of Konoha will exert a lot of chakra from our bodies until we run out. But if we use too much chakra, eventually we wouldn't be able to continue fighting any bad guys that would attack Konoha. But you'll know more about that later on, pup. You may see me as a sweet, caring mother, but I am tough and I do care for my family. I will start you off easy, but it will get tougher later on, understand?" Said Tsume.

"Thanks, Tsume oka san." Said Naruto. As he was about to leave, the Anbu appeared in a puff of smoke in front of him and said, "Naruto-san, Hokage sama wishes to see you and the clans of Konoha now."

"Right now? Okay, we're on our way, but if the civilians find out that I am in this meeting, it would most likely spell trouble." said Naruto.

"You don't have to worry about that Naruto, It's imperative that you must come to the meeting so that the Hokage can discuss your adoption process." replied the female Anbu and they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Really?" Naruto was shocked to hear that word from the Anbu.

"Yes, that's right, Naruto. Now come along, you little squirt." Said Choza as he carried Naruto on his back and head off for the Hokage's office. Within minutes, everyone arrived at the Hokage's tower and to their surprise, all the civilians including Anbu guards were there as well. Also present are the village elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, council advisors for Sarutobi. Before the old man can begin the meeting, his secretary, Mikoto, arrived and said, "Hokage-sama! The clansmen of Konoha have arrived and they brought Naruto with them to the meeting."

"Oh, they came here a lot faster then I had expected. Send them in, Naruto is also required to hear this as well." Said the Hokage.

"Hai! Hokage-sama!" said Mikoto. And sure enough, all the clans, including the container of the Kyubii entered the Hokage's office. But as the civilian members of the council turned to see the kid, they were still not happy and turned to the Hokage, "What is the meaning of this? Why have you allowed the kyubii brat here during an important meeting?" They were not amused as to how the kid actually survived the villagers' onslaught.

"You guys just don't get it, do you? In all my life, you civilians are just cowards and to me, you guys are really pathetic. If you think you can get rid of me this easily, you are wrong. I was here because ji-chan had sent for me so I can get adopted and not get sent back to that filthy dump you call the orphange, you civilian scum." said Naruto as he started to sound angry.

"Why you little demo..." began a merchant as he tried to take a swing at the blonde with a batter. Thankfully, Shikaku was able to step in and grab a hold of the merchant using his shadow while Choza restrained the man from behind with his bare hands. Naruto was shocked to see the two men using such brute strength on a civilian.

"Finish that sentence, and not only will you suffer the consequences, but you will feel our wrath!" growled Choza.

"Impressive, and here I thought Tsunade-hime was tough, but when it comes to the clans of Konoha, don't mess with them. It seems that I have taught them well." thought the Hokage as he turned his attention to the civilian members of the council, "Now, as I was saying, Naruto-kun is here at my request because I had sent the Anbu to inform him about attending the council meeting with his new family present." Said the Hokage. "Now everyone, I would like to thank you all for coming to the meeting, now the reason why I called you here is because of the situation involving Naruto. Since Naruto was an orphan and he had no one to care for him, he had been lonely due to the Kyubii inside of him and now I know that many of you dislike the demon, but…

Before the Hokage can continue, one of the civilian merchants stood up and said, "Are you saying that we should accept him for who he is and not as the fox? The kid has no life here in Konoha and he will be more of a bigger threat to all of us if he stays here any longer."

"He's right, that kid doesn't deserve freedom and there is no way he'll gain acceptance from any of us, I suggest we kill him now to keep the village safe." Said another civilian. Soon the entire office was interrupted by the civilians ranting of "Kill the demon" which caused the Hokage to get a headache. The one that was not happy was Inuzuka Tsume because for her, the thought of naruto getting hurt was something that she will not tolerate. To her, she really liked Naruto for who he is and he was like family to her. Naruto feared the civilians would scare him with that threat but he was comforted by Kiba's sister, Hana. Even the other clans of Konoha wanted to adopt him and make him a part of their life as well because to them, Naruto was someone special to Konoha that needed lots of people to spend some time talking to him, and having friends meeting him in order for Naruto to become a part of their life and having his suffering to come to a close.

The noise in the Hokage's office was so loud, that not even the Hokage himself can silence them. Soon Naruto walked up to the Hokage's desk and said, "I am getting sick of listening to those troublesome civilians, ji-chan. Do you have a scroll that I can use to shut them up?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Naruto." thought the Nara clan heir as he smiled at him.

The Hokage looked at him and said, "I might, but you do know that you might have to wait until you graduate from the academy before you start learning techniques from scrolls, right Naruto? You must know that most of the techniques on the scrolls are dangerous and you are not permitted to use them because you haven't learned any chakra control yet."

"I know ji-ji, but I'm only going to test it out, I'm not going to study it yet. And since the civilians are giving you a headache, I might as well keep them under control by making them fall asleep so that they can dream about their favorite fantasies instead of them having nightmares. It's the only way for me to able to talk to you and the clans of Konoha freely without too much disturbance or interruption from the civilians." Said Naruto.

"Wait a minute, what are you planning? And just what exactly are you going to do with the civilians and how are you going to keep them silent?" Asked Hiashi.

"Oh, you'll see, Hyuga-sama. Just watch me carefully, everyone. This is only an hands-on experiment that I am trying out. Don't worry if this is not the first time you've seen this." said naruto.

"Of course, pup. and yes, we're watching you. Go ahead, show us what you can do to calm the civilians down." replied Tsume.

The Hokage wondered just what Naruto was up to as he reached out from his desk drawer and took out a scroll and tossed it to Naruto. As he opened it, he discovers the Nirvana Temple genjutsu technique was the perfect one for him to use on the civilians. This one had became completely new to naruto as he never learned any genjutsu before. "The Nirvana Temple technique, eh? Its a genjutsu technique to put people to sleep. This will be the perfect technique for me to use on the civilian members of the council." Naruto thought to himself. Before the civilians continued their ranting about executing the kyubii brat, Naruto ran through a series of hand signs, _"Nehan Shoja no jutsu,_" he called out as the civilian members of the council was caught in his genjutsu and had fallen asleep on the table. "There, that ought to do the trick." said Naruto.

Surprised looks and shock started to affect the clans of Konoha. They wondered where Naruto learned to use genjutsu without exerting any chakra. This sort of technique had impressed Kiba's mother, the elders of konoha, and the Hokage.

"How the hell did you do that, Naruto?" asked Inoichi, who was most surprised by naruto's action.

"Well, I just put them under a genjutsu spell to make them fall asleep so that way we can talk more freely about my adoption. The Nehan Shoja no jutsu is very effective to knock any opponents out cold without having to disturb them from their eternal slumber. If I had to take a guess, the only other shinobi that was capable of using this was Kabuto Yakushi, and he isn't from Konoha, he works for Orochimaru and he had developed tons of other techniques besides the Nirvana Temple technique," Said Naruto.

"How did you learn this? Tell us know how you recognized Kabuto as the one who developed such a technique." Said Choza.

"Well, Kabuto was a spy who didn't have any friends or any living relatives. He was taken in by Orochimaru and became the serpent-sannin's subordinate. They started to rally up oto bodyguards to guard their base and sometimes they constantly move their base of operations elsewhere so that no one would know of their whereabouts and they are well prepared for the upcoming war against our village. Orochimaru was once a former teammate working under my adoptive grandfather, the Hokage himself along with ero-sennin and Tsunade baa-chan. Orochimaru was a sannin just like Jiraiya-sama because he used to love the village of Konoha, but he hated it so much that he wanted to destroy it once and for all. So we need to be prepared for the upcoming invasion." said Naruto.

"Naruto, that information is restricted for security reasons. I can't let you spread a word of this to anyone or your friends. Keep it a secret, okay?" said the Hokage.

"Of course, ji-chan, I promise you, my lips are sealed." said Naruto.

The clans of Konoha were impressed at how naruto was able to pull off such an advanced genjutsu technique without him doing any movement. Even Hiashi was amazed at the kid's talent and said, "Interesting, I got to teach Neji and my daughters about genjutsu. You really do have such skill pulling of that technique. Now, what was it that you wanted to tell us without the civilians' knowledge?"

"I'm getting to that now." Naruto says, and he turned to the Hokage. "Oji-chan, if you would, please. You did mention that I was getting adopted by the clans of Konoha right?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. Thanks, naruto." Said the Hokage. "Now as I was saying, as many of you know, Naruto is the container of Kyubii and had lived a tough life after he was born with no one to care for him and he had no friends to talk to. He was always being shunned and he had a hard time getting accepted for who he is. Naruto has been lonely all this time and with him living in the orphanage, life for him was tough ever since he was born. Sometimes Naruto would come by my office to hide out whenever he spots civilians outside. And from that moment, I knew that something would bound to happen to Naruto but with him getting hurt and left unprotected, I couldn't help but feel ashamed and I feel so sorry for the poor kid."

At that moment the clans murmured at each other and some of them had felt motionless and expressionless because it was impossible for them to describe how they feel about the kid's terrible condition and the difficulties he encountered. They didn't want Naruto's nightmare to haunt them for the rest of their life and they had felt sorry for the kid due to the fact that he was left in a bind and was alone in a crowd. Despised by what the civilians had done, Naruto decided to get the clan's attention and spoke up, "Clans of Konoha, may I have your attention, please? There is something I would like to say to all of you." The clans turned their attention on Naruto and the Akimichi spoke up.

"What is it, Naruto? Is there something on your mind that's bothering you? And don't worry, your secret is safe with us, just tell us what's wrong." said Choza.

"I have to agree with Hokage-sama and to be honest, I always lived my life as an orphan and not only have I been tortured by the civilians, I almost had nothing to eat and no one was able to help me with anything, living my life alone just doesn't cut it for me. I don't really know who my parents are now. It just doesn't feel right for me, if I continue to live like this, the villagers will…," began Naruto.

"The villagers don't know anything about you, Naruto. We all know that you lived a hard life and you've been rejected too many times after you were born. All your life, you wanted to be accepted by people, right? I know what you are thinking; why you got rejected by Konoha and why you were hated so much is beyond us. The truth is, you never got too much attention from anyone, did you? No, not at all. We all know what that feels like, but whatever that's inside of you isn't you and we know that you are not the Kyubii. You can't blame yourself for what happened, but you must know; you've carried the burden for too long now. You have to let it go and forget about the civilians. Also, with you being stressed out and pressured too much by the villagers won't help make your life any easier. Let all of us help you, please bear with us, Naruto." Replied Shibi, and he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder as he consoles him.

"I know and I really appreciate it, Aburame-sama. But you have no idea what I've been through all those years and that's the thing, I've always trusted you guys more than ever, but I don't want my life to end up in despair. Also, my safety could end up being jeopardized if I stay here any longer. However, simply put I want the villagers to stop abusing me and just leave me alone. And since the shinobi makes up about one-fourth of the council, you are the ones to ensure that I get full protection. Besides, I just can't bear to see anyone else get hurt or insulted because of me." He was on the verge of crying as he continued, "Why is it only strange to me that so many people have a family to love them and not me? Why do I feel so alone on the inside with no one to believe me, support me and trust me as much as you support your children? Am I the only one who don't have parents to say how they are so proud of me no matter what? Why is it easy for you guys to have these things and not me? Please tell me, guys! I can't take the suffering any longer!" he was getting hysterical until Shikaku Nara grabbed the blonde and embraced him while stroking his head gently.

"Dear me! Take it easy, will you? And we all know how you feel, Naruto. As far as I can see, Konoha has given you nothing but pain and suffering hasn't it? You poor thing, and we all know what you been through, believe me. As troubling as the situation is right now, the village only sees you as a monster, but we don't. We all see you as a hero and we promise, we will all protect you with our life, Naruto. Besides, it's not your fault why the monster was sealed inside of you. The fact that these troublesome villagers are complete cowards for not knowing the real you is because they never think highly of you. Furthermore, Konoha needs you as a hero and you have friends that truly care about you. Naruto. Hokage-sama has told us everything about what had happened to you, so let us help you ease the pain because starting now you are a part of our life and you are special person to all of us. If your father was here he'd be as proud as I am of you for being his next successor. And take my word for it, you don't need to listen to their campaign of harrasment any longer, all right?"

"Yes, Shikaku's right. We all know that you've been hated by the villagers a lot and that you wanted the harassments to stop and I know they've been hard on you, yes. But you must know that deep down inside of you, there are people out there who needs you here more than ever. Don't let the civilians get you down, the reason why you are needed here is because you would be performing your duties as both a hero and a shinobi of Konoha for us and that's why you are special to all of us. Trust me, this is required of every ninja here, remember this." replied Hiashi.

More tears continued running down his eyes and onto his cheeks, "Tou-sans, oka-sans, aunts and uncles, I... I don't know what to say, and to have caring people like you to support me is just wonderful. But when I met the Hokage and Iruka, it brought me joy and also pain. They accepted me for who I am, but I'm still emotionally and physically scarred after what the villagers did to hurt me and I just can't bear to suffer anymore pain and grief. So therefore, I just wanted to let you guys know that...I love you all so much!" cried naruto.

"Wow, I never seen Naruto showing that much emotion before. The first time he had met us, he couldn't show any emotions at all, but I think that he has taken a great liking to us ever since his former father died." replied Inoichi with a smile.

"True, but after Naruto was born and settled here in the village, a lot of people looked down on him and ignored him, and they never gave him much acceptance. With all this hate taking its toll on him, it would be hard for him to make friends around here, especially in Konoha. We need to make sure he is recognized as the next hero of the Yondaime, and he needs to be treated like a normal child. Such a sweet kid like Naruto doesn't deserve all that suffering." replied Kurenai. The others in the room all nodded in agreement, the kid had problems adjusting to life around Konoha

"Naruto, take your mind off the civilians, they are just idiots who don't know shit about you, but we do. We know you are not the kind of person who take kindly to insults and all that. And we know you are not the type of person who wants to harm this place, plus, you don't really pose any type of threat to us. And bear in mind, while you are here we will take great care of you and your life will be completely in our hands, understand, buddy?" replied Choza as he placed a hand on the boy's head for comforting.

Naruto was surprised to have heard such kind words from the families of Konoha because the villagers failed to treat him with respect, kindness, and patience after he was born. He even had flashbacks and was reflecting how the civilians had badly made him suffer like a dog. The boy then cried tears of joy as he was hugged by the family that he never had in his childhood. "Thank you! Thank you all! This was definitely something I have been waiting for in my whole life!" he said in between sobs. Kakashi then picked up Naruto and then embraced him, because knowing him, Naruto would need all the support he could possibly get with help from his new family and friends. He took a long pause and then said to him while smiling, "Naruto-san, its going to be okay, you will be all right now, and we promise, nothing bad will happen to you, okay?"

It took about 20 minutes for Naruto to stop sobbing, and he felt better knowing that people do need him here a lot. Afterwards, Naruto sat down in between Tsume and Shikaku and waited for his next surprise. The Hokage turned to the clans and said, "Okay, now that that's out of the way. Attention clan heads, which one of you guys would like to adopt the kid?" he asked the clans.

"I think I should adopt him first. and the Inuzuka clan will always support him. Besides, Naruto does seem to have taken an interest in animals." Said Tsume.

"Aw, man, how troublesome, why does a girl have to adopt Naruto? I would make Naruto a great shogi player and he would be under the guidance of Asuma. So I should take him under my wing once he is adopted. He needs to learn abut the Nara clan's shadow techniques." Said Shikaku.

Soon the adoption of Naruto that was discussed between the clans had turned to a shouting match. The Hokage sighed, "Oh, no. Here we go again. When will these people ever learn to keep their noise level down?" Even Naruto seemed to agree with the Hokage because he didn't prefer loud noises either. So, the Hokage had decided to once and for all, banged his head on the desk and the room started to shake with books and scrolls falling to the floor, even the windows shattered as well. Soon the fighting among the clans had quieted down. "Enough of this fighting, why don't you all share in adopting Naruto? After all he needs a mother and father figure and of course and aunt and uncle too. As I have said not only will I protect Naruto with my life, but Iruka will too. Naruto, you wouldn't mind if we swear to a pact and to promise not to let you get into harm's way?" said the Hokage.

"Not at all, go ahead. After all I am willing to start a new life with the family members and this adoption is just the beginning. I am more than happy to take some time to bond with my loved ones and friends of Konoha." Said Naruto.

"All right, Naruto. If that's what you want, then you got yourself a deal." Said the Hokage. He than turned to the clans, "Are you guys ready?"

A chorus of hais can be heard from the room. Even Asuma, Kurenai, and kakashi are also willing to adopt naruto and make him a part of their life as well. This had given Kakashi a new idea, what if naruto had the name Hatake, than he would be Naruto's brother. With that thought, Naruto would make a perfect addition to the Hatake family name.

All the clans lined up and began their operation on the adoption of Naruto. The first to come up was Hyuga Hiashi and as he looked at Naruto for a moment, then said, "I Hyuga Hiashi, will swear pact, will adopt naruto uzumaki and will protect him from danger."

"I, Inuzuka Tsume, will also adopt the pup and add my protection to him and the Hyugas." She said.

"Aburame Shibi here, will always protect naruto for all eternity and add its protection to him as well. I will swear on my pact that no harm will come to this boy as I adopt him into my clan." Replied the bug user.

"Naruto Uzumaki has also got the backs of the Nara, Akimichi, and the Yamanaka clans and we will adopt him to make sure that danger will not befall upon him." Said Shikaku and he gently rubbed naruto's head. "Shikaku does have a soft side." Naruto thought to himself.

"I Hatake Kakashi will adopt Naruto too but his middle name will be Hatake, after my father. And I swear pact, Naruto is hereby named Naruto Hatake Uzumaki." Said Kakashi.

The room was filled with shock and the Hokage was most surprised. "Kakashi, you are a genius, I never knew that Naruto had a middle name, but if he is named that, than he'll be more than welcome to be a part of your clan." Said the Hokage.

The others looked at Kakashi and seemed to agree with him about his plan. But they had to remind Kakashi that they will also make Naruto a strong shinobi. They all turned to Kakashi and asked him, "Why did you name him Hatake?" Kakashi would swear to protect naruto with all his life and he quotes, "I will not allow a comrade of Konoha to be harmed, I will protect Naruto with my life and anyone who leaves a comrade for dead is trash. My father, Hatake Sakumo took care of me when I was younger and I was once under the yondaime's command. So I name Naruto uzumaki hatake after my father to remember him by because this child sees me as a family now and I will do whatever it takes to protect him. And also, i was thinking that if he is able to learn to summon animals we would all be glad to help him with that, and then I would be able to give him the contract for the dogs so that he has the ability to track down enemies or comrads that are in danger." replied Kakashi.

"You are going to teach him to summon animals? Why didn't we think of this before? Naruto would become an animal lover as he combines it with being a great shinobi. We would also love to teach him the _Kychiouse no jutsu _and having him sign the contract for the toads, monkey, and wolves, among others. But don't worry we'll all help him out to the best of our abilities and he'll be able to give us the chance to call out our summounings as well so that together he'll be able to control the animals without any problems. As long as he returns the contacts to the clans that had lost them during the war, then he should be able to have this down in no time." replied the Sandaime.

"The Uchihas will also swear pact to protect Naruto and we also will adopt and add our support and protection for him. After all, he has developed a strong bond with our clan so we should have no problem making him a part of our family. He has treated Sasuke as if he was a brother to him. In all good time he'll learn our clan's sharingan and fire techniques right after his graduation." Said Fugaku.

Finally Kurenai and Asuma sweared pact that will make Naruto a part of their life and will offer him protection as well.. They both think of Naruto as a nephew. As Asuma approached Naruto, he sat down next to him on the couch and said, "Naruto, as you may know, Hokage-sama has a grandson that will be taken under your wing when you graduate from the academy. His name is Konohamaru and you will have him as your younger brother. That's the reason why I will be adopting you because like Konohamaru, you are like a nephew to me."

"Asuma is right, Naruto. And I will oversee your training as you get older, Naruto. And I will protect you with my life. I also have a close friend of mine that was abandoned too by that evil wretch Orochimaru. Her name is Mitarashi Anko. She will be tough, but she has a sweet side too. Don't worry about a thing, your days of bonding will people isn't over yet. She will make you a part of her life too, just like me." Said Kurenai.

Naruto was surprised to hear that he will be fully protected by the people that he cares and trusts. He smiled at his family and said, "Thanks so much everyone, you've made me feel a whole lot better now." The clans looked at Naruto and asked him, "Now that you are fully adopted, what would you want to do to keep yourself safe?"

"Well, now that you have all adopted me, I would really like to meet your sons and daughters. I'm sure that they will be more than happy to make me a part of their life as well. Also your techniques really seem to interest me, I would love to know more about them." Said Naruto.

"Poor thing, you must really be desperate to meet your new friends and learn new stuff, huh?" the clans thought to themselves. And they smiled at Naruto for having so much respect to his family and for becoming a pillar of Konoha. "Well naruto, if that's what you want, very well. Our techniques are also passed down to our sons and daughters and they are not really that easy to master for a beginner like you, it takes time and lots of concentration but we can help you with them, however, you must promise us to do your best, understand?" they said in a tone of seriousness.

"Of course, everyone. Of course." Said Naruto with a smile.

The Hokage turned and said, "Now that Naruto has been adopted, we will now have a dinner party to celebrate naruto's adoption and the start of his new life. Naruto has certainly earned the right to be a hero of Konoha."

"That he has, Hokage-sama, that he has." Laughed Kurenai.

Naruto felt relieved now that he has a big family to support him, he didn't need to worry about suffering anymore pain nor carrying anymore burdens. Naruto was now happy with the fact that he would also get a chance to meet his new friends and spend some time bonding with them. The Hokage already knows that Naruto had developed a strong relationship with the Uchihas and he hoped that Naruto would fully be able to master all of his family's techniques before he is prepared to fight real enemies after he graduates. So, he put the adoption into a vote and everyone, except for the civilian members of the council, was in favor of changing Naruto's life forever. And with that, the adoption was complete and the meeting had now came to a close. The Hokage had turned to naruto and said, "Naruto, now that you have the full support and protection of your new family, what would you like to do now?"

"Well, I was hoping to have a celebration for my successful adoption by having a family dinner together. I would like to request that my friends to come as well because this will give me a chance to get to know them better and have them show me the ropes. If I can spend sometime bonding with my friends just like I did with the clan heads, it will make my life a whole lot easier." Said naruto.

"That would be fine, Naruto. and it would be good for you share your interests with our sons and daughters and make some new friends." Replied the clans.

"Thank you,everyone. Please make sure to tell them that they will all be invited for the family dinner tonight." And he bowed politely to the Hyuga clan head. But before he left, he looked around the room to see the civilians still sleeping and asked the Anbu guards, "Shall I wake them up or let them sleep a bit longer?'

"Let them sleep, and besides, let the Anbu guards escort them home from the Hokage's office. They need some rest and they had a long night." Said Tsume. And with that, Naruto went out of the Hokage's office and informs his friends about his successful adoption and about the invitation to the family dinner.

**And… cut. That will do it for this chapter. I know that I had made it too long, in this story the council is made up of one-forth shinobi including the Hokage and one-half civilian. I know that several of you may disgree. I had ran out of ideas for this chapter but I'll have more for you next week. I will be working on chapter 4 which will be entitled, "Training and Academy" Please give me a review and as always peace out, I'll see everyone next time.**

**Combatally12**

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	4. Chapter 4: Festivities and Dinner

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Note: I don't own Naruto or its disclaimers.

Hey everyone! It's been a week now since I had done some updating on the previous three chapters and got my first review, but due to my poor internet connection I was only able to revise and edit the first three chapters. So in the last chapter, Naruto discusses with his new family about the monster inside of him and what the villagers did so now with him adopted, his life is now changed and he is given a new name: Naruto Hatake Uzumaki. To day's chapter will focus on Naruto's first day in the academy after his two year break. And now, on with the show.

Chapter 4: The family dinner

Previously on Naruto…

"Naruto, the Hokage asked him, "Now that you have been adopted by your new family, is there something that you would like to do to show our appreciation?"

"I got just the thing, Ojii-san. I wanted to have a celebration of my successful adoption by having a family dinner together. Also, I would like to invite my friends to come as well so that this way, it will give me a chance to get to know them better and have them show me the ropes just like the clansmen did for me. Also, I was thinking that if I can spend sharing my bond of friendship with my friends, it will make my life a whole lot easier." Said Naruto.

"I think that's a great idea, Naruto. And it would be great if you had shared your interests with our sons and daughters. And we'll guarantee that you'll become great friends with them." Replied the clans.

"Thanks so much everyone. Oh, and clansmen of Konoha, please be sure to tell your sons and daughters that they are all invited for the family dinner tonight, I would really appreciate it, thanks so much. And he bowed politely to the clan heads. Before he left, he looked around the room to see the civilians still asleep and then he asked the Anbu guards, "Should I wake them up or let them sleep a little bit longer?"

"Let them sleep, and besides, have the Anbu guards escort them home from the Hokage's office. They need some rest and they had a long night." Said Tsume. And with that Naruto went out of the Hokage's office and informs his friends about his successful adoption and about the invitation to the family dinner.

0o0o0o0o0o

The Hokage smiled at Naruto as he went off to inform his friends about the dinner party. As the clans were getting ready to leave, the Hokage told them, "Naruto can really make you guys proud, doesn't he? He doesn't seem to feel very lonely anymore now that he's got the support of you guys. I'm telling you, he'll make an excellent Hokage one day. I'm just so proud of him."

"Indeed, Hokage-sama. He never ceases to amaze us. It's like as if his father is watching him proudly as he keeps Konoha a safe place for us all. Even though the kyubii is still causing pain for him, we'll all do our best to protect him." Said Shikaku.

"He has also inherited the will of fire, which is burning brightly for him. But he still has a tough road ahead of him as he stays here. It won't be easy for the gaki, but I'm sure he'll be fine." Said a voice from behind them. The clans turned around and saw the female Sannin and were shocked, "Tsu-… Tsunade-sama!? When did you get here?" they asked.

"I've been here ever since I took care of Naruto when he was in the hospital. And now that he has gotten your backs, I don't think we should worry about him too much, but still we need to keep an eye on him. He will face many new challenges, meet new people and face new enemies that will be a threat him. But even though he's still young, we'll all do what we can to assist him." Said Tsunade.

"Tsunade, I've really wanted to thank you for saving Naruto's life, if it wasn't for you, than Naruto would have been doomed from the start. And with your medical expertise, you could train Sakura, Ino and Hinata and they will become successful medical-nins." Said the Hokage.

Tsunade looked at him and agreed but still with the fox inside of Naruto she feels that he would become a target for the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. If Naruto was kidnapped by the Akatsuki and with the fox extracted out of him, he could die. "I still feel that Naruto living by himself wouldn't be very safe, he still needs a place to live that would border the Inuzukas, Naras, and the Hyuga residences. Maybe that could help increase his protection from the civilians. What do you guys think? After all, with Iruka and and the Hokage at his side, nothing will happen to Naruto." She said.

"We'll think about it, but for now, Naruto needs to live with us from time to time. With our help we'll make him a full fledged shinobi and we'll be training him for several months after he graduates from the academy. In all good time he'll be ready to face any enemies that he'll encounter including Orochimaru, the snake sannin who turned against Konoha and carried out dangerous experiments. He has numerous amounts of forbidden techniques just waiting to be used on our village. We don't want Naruto to become his next victim." Said Tsume.

"Tsume is right, and we all need to guard naruto at all times and make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous. I know you want to keep Naruto safe and all, Tsunade-sama, but please let us make him our top priority. He is still special to us, ever since his former parents died, the orphanage didn't care much for him and he always comes to hide out at the Hokage's office because of how poorly the villagers had treated him. He had suffered a lot of pain and torture from the villagers and he needs lot of love, support and help from all of us, even if half the shinobi don't give a damn about him." Said Choza.

"All right, I've get it. Thank you for your points, Inuzuka-sama, Choza-sama, but now we need to change the subject here, we need to start getting ready to invite everyone for the family dinner tonight to celebrate Naruto's adoption. You are invited too, Tsunade-sama. Aren't you glad that everything turned out okay for naruto?" said the Hokage.

Tsunade couldn't help but smiled, she realized now that Naruto truly has people to care for him and he isn't as lonely as much now. She had deep faith in naruto and feels confident now that he has people and friends to care for him. Naruto's tragic near death experience at the hands of the civilians still continues to haunt her, but it had deeply touched her and so she will put her life on the line to protect the kid. However, when an emergency mission came up for Tsunade, she had no choice but to take it and won't return for a while until the Third steps down as Hokage and having her becoming his successor.

"Sarutobi-sensei, I would love to come, but there is something that I have to take care of in Tanzaku Town, so I won't be back for a while. Please take good care of Naruto and the village until my return, after all, it's his dream to be Hokage, isn't it? After all, everyone that Naruto sees in Konoha is precious to him, including you. I'm sure he'll do a wonderful job to keep his home safe." Said Tsunade.

"Indeed he will, Tsunade-sama, I promise you, his family, friends, including me, will take great care of him, rest assured, he'll get the best care he needs in Konohagakure." Replied the Hokage. But he still feels worried about Naruto's safety being endangered, but prayed for the best for Naruto.

Flashback

"_Don't worry Ojii-san; I'll keep Konoha safe no matter what. It's my duty to protect the people I love. They are most precious to me just like you." Said Naruto._

"_Okay, Naruto, don't get too carried away though, you were just released from the hospital after your terrible encounter with the civilians, I don't want you to get hurt again, it is my responsibility to keep you safe, Gaki." Replied the Hokage._

"_I understand Ojii-san, but please protect me with your life; I don't want you to suffer the same fate as my parents did. I don't want to lose anymore precious people, you were the first to acknowledge me and so did Iruka-sensei, right?" asked Naruto._

"_Yes, and he had parents who were killed by the Kyubii but he doesn't blame you for it, he was lonely just like you and he cares about you a lot and you really do value him as your adoptive father now, don't you? But now you will meet some new people who will be adopting you as well," said his adoptive grandfather._

"_Really? I will have a big family now? Yatta! Thanks so much Ojii-san." Shouted Naruto happily as he hugged his adoptive grandfather for the first time in his life. _

_The Hokage smiled at him, it was the first time that he ever se his adoptive grandson having finally realized that he wasn't suffering as much anymore. Now that he was saved by the clansmen of Konoha, Naruto's life was completely changed._

End flashback.

The Hokage was relieved; he'd been trying not to let Naruto's near death experience to haunt him. With that now put aside, he called upon his secretary, 'Mikoto-san! Mikoto-san!"

"What is it Hokage-sama?" called his secretary as she bursts in to his office.

"We are arranging to have a family dinner tonight and so we want to invite all guests tonight, please go find any shinobi you feel that will be able to come and get them here, please. I need Umino iruka here as well." Said the Hokage.

'Of course, Hokage-sama!" said Mikoto and she left his office.

A few minutes later, Iruka arrived in the Hokage's office he asked him, "What is it, Hokage-sama?"

"Have you noticed that everytime Naruto is around the streets of Konoha he is always targeted by civilians and villagers at the same time? somehow I fear for his safety and I fell that he isn't getting enough protection. I really do need your help in protecting Naruto from harm since he valued you as his adoptive father. Maybe he could also spend some time with you besides his new family in Konoha." said the Hokage.

"Yes, I have noticed. I really don't know what to say, Hokage-sama, but with the way things are now and Naruto being endangered just scares me. I couldn't help him as much because he was feared a lot by the villagers. Ever since the Yondaime died, this had only brought more pain for naruto. I will do whatever I can do make sure he stays safe ever since you and I both have adopted him, and I don't want his life to end in despair either." said Iruka.

"I know, Iruka, I know. try to show him the ropes just like his family did and maybe even introduce some people to him at Icchiraku becuase those guys have always been really friendly towards Naruto. that's the second part of the love and support that Naruto needs. I know you feel the same way, but trust me, you and naruto had suffered too much, but I'll make sure that it doesn't happen to you or Naruto. For now, and after the dinner party, please accompany Naruto and give him a tour of the village. Since he will also be starting the academy within two years, I think he'll get along really well with you, just like how well he got along with the other clan members." replied the Hokage.

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I'll do my best to make sure Naruto gets all the help he needsa nd I'll always be there for him and I know that Konoha had alwsy been so mean to him, but I'll make sure he doesn't get bothered by that anymore." smiled Iruka,a nd he left the office right away.

The streets of Konoha were pretty much quieted down now that the civilians were dispersed. As Naruto looked around, he felt relieved now that not a single civilian showed up on the streets. He first decided to head over to the Uchiha compound to send his first invitation. As he approached the compound area, he knocked on the door, seconds later; a member of the uchiha clan opened the door and said, "Yes, may I help you?"

"I'm sorry for intruding, but is this the residence of Uchiha Sasuke?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, you came at the right time. Uzumaki Naruto. Come on in. So what can I do for you?" asked the man.

"Well I need to give this invitation to Uchiha Sasuke to let him know that he and his family have been invited for a family dinner tonight, as ordered by the Hokage himself because tonight is the big event to celebrate my successful adoption." Said Naruto.

"That's really nice of you, Uzumaki-san. I'll see to it that Sasuke gets this straight away. Thanks again."

"No problem, oh what's your name by the way?" asked Naruto.

"Uchiha Shisui, a best friend and cousin of Sasuke's brother, Itachi. Pleasure to meet you, naruto-san. And congrats on your successful adoption, I look forward to seeing more of you." Said Shisui as he shook naruto's hand. It was the first time that Naruto had met another member of the Uchiha clan who would become a part of his life forever.

"Nice to meet you too Shisui-san, but I can't stay here for very long, I have to make sure that these other invitations get sent out as well, I'll see you later, Shisui." Said Naruto, and he left Sasuke's place right away, but not before Uchiha Itachi stopped him, "You must be Uzumaki Naruto, right? I heard that our father, Fugaku adopted you and it was successful, am I right?" asked Itachi.

Naruto looked at Itachi for a moment with fear in his eyes and said, "Yes, Itachi-san, and you must be Sasuke's big brother who graduated from the academy at age 7 and mastered the sharingan at age 8. Also you passed the chunin exam at age 10 and becoming Anbu captain at age 13, right? I've heard a lot about you, how you were being praised by your father and all." Said Naruto. He had great respect for the Uchiha clan, but when it comes to dealing with Itachi, he had that fear in his eyes that the family he valued so much won't be around for much longer. But Itachi was somewhat of a mystery character for Naruto that had left him puzzled.

"I see that you've been studying our clan's history, Uzumaki-san. But you must also understand that I possess more than the sharingan, but you'll know more about that after you graduate from the academy. Nice to meet you by the way, I'll see you at the party." Said Itachi, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What was that all about? What a weird guy." Thought Naruto. As he left the Uchiha compound, he wanted to know more about what Itachi was planning. As he went on the streets of Konoha, he turned at the corner to where the Inuzuka residence was and entered the front gate. As he entered, he could see a number of large dogs guarding the house and as they spotted Naruto, they began barking at him and some of them jumped onto him and licked him. "Hey! Cut it out will you? That tickles!" said Naruto. As he opened the door, he sees a girl which looked just like her mother. She was also the daughter of Inuzuka Tsume and Kiba's older sister, and also a veterinarian that helps to nurse dogs back to health. As the girl spotted naruto, she quickly and slowly pried the dogs loose from naruto and calmed them down, "Hey! It's okay guys, he's a friend. Go easy on him." She said. The dogs backed down As she opened the door she sees Naruto, the container of the kyubii who was rescued by her mother, Tsume, at her doorstep. So she said to him, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, is this the residence of Inuzuka Kiba? I have an invitation to send to him about the family dinner tonight to celebrate my adoption. Please tell him that he's invited. And you must he Inuzuka Hana, Kiba's sister and a highly respected vet that cares for dogs, right? I'm Uzumaki Naruto by the way and your mom actually adopted me into your clan. Nice to meet you, Hana nee-chan." He said to her as he shook her hand and smiled. It was the first true smile that he had shown since his adoption by the Inuzuka clan.

Hana looked at him and said, "Yes, this is the residence of the Inuzukas. And I heard that our mother had saved your life from those terrible civilians after what they have done to you, right? You were one lucky kid to have survived that onslaught, if our mom wasn't there, you would have been dead. Anyway, thanks for inviting us, we'll see you there, and nice to meet you, Uzumaki Naruto. I'm sure you'll get along with our family just fine." Said Hana, and she smiled at the kid for his bravery. "That poor kid, he didn't deserve this suffering from the civilians. I should have helped him also, but I didn't know this could happen to him." She thought. With that in her mind, she would also do everything she can to keep naruto safe.

As Naruto finished up with the invitation to the Inuzukas, he continued onward and sent invitations to the Naras, Akimichis, Yamanakas, Hyugas, and the Aburames. He also sent one to Umino iruka, Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma to make sure they arrive to the party on time. Afterwards, he headed back to the Hokage's tower and entered his office and said, "Ojii-san, I have sent out all the invitations to the clan families, so the party should be pretty all set right?"

"Very soon, Naruto. Why don't you relax here in my office for a little bit before the festivities begin? You must have been worn out from all that running right?" asked the Hokage.

"I am, but I also ran into someone at the Uchiha compound earlier. It was Uchiha Itachi, the brother of Sasuke. There was something very mysterious about that guy that strikes fear within my heart. He did say something about possessing the sharingan and many other dangerous techniques. He might be a little bit dangerous to me and he might pose a serious threat to me and the uchiha clan." Said Naruto.

"Uchiha Itachi? No, I don't think he's that dangerous. He might be trying to protect you but I don't think he poses any kind of threat to you or the clan itself. But do you have a problem with him?" asked the Hokage.

"No, no. Of course not, I must be out of my mind. He isn't that dangerous, hehehe!" he chuckled nervously, but still he feels that with itachi around he would be in grave danger. However, he decided to put it aside and concentrate on the party at hand.

Soon, the festivities had begun, and the clans along with their sons and daughters have arrived at the party. Also present were the three jounin instructors, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. and Iruka was there as well. Also present is the Uchiha clan and the raven-haired kid, Sasuke, who wasn't really much of a talker. Naruto walked over to see Sasuke and introduced himself to the raven-haired kid. "Hi there, you must be Uchiha Sasuke. I've heard so much about you. Oh I'm Uzumaki Naruto and your family had adopted me into your clan, isn't that something?" said Naruto as he smiled at Sasuke.

"Hmph, of course you dobe. Just because you got adopted doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. We may be friends for now, but kami help me after this is over, we shall have a sparring match to see who is the strongest. Are you bold enough to accept, Naruto?" said Sasuke.

Naruto looked at him with shock and sadness, but he cracked a smile and said, "Bring it on, Sasuke-teme. I'll definitely beat you and I won't lose to you!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a smile and shook hands and they immediately became friends and rivals. But still, Naruto had developed a close relationship with Sasuke and treats him as a brother because like Naruto, Sasuke had became a part of his family now.

Before the party continued, the Hokage decided now it was time to make an announcement to the clans. "Attention all clansmen of Konoha, we are gathered here tonight to celebrate the successful adoption of a child who will be his father's next successor as Hokage: Uzumaki Naruto! The clans cheered, and even their sons and daughters were impressed at what their mothers and fathers had done. It was a miracle now that Naruto had plenty of people there to care for him, not to mention his friends are now like brothers and sisters to him.

"Naruto, now that you have invited everyone here for the party tonight, it is time that you get introduced to them. Now clansmen, would you please introduce Naruto to your sons and daughters?" said the Hokage.

The clansmen agreed and soon the first one to come up was a kid wearing sunglasses and had bugs all over the insides of his body, just like his father. As naruto observed him, he notices that he was a quiet guy and a bit spooky. But he seemed like a nice guy who would help anyone who is in danger. "My name is Aburame Shino, and I have lots of hobbies like collecting insects, meet new people and making friends with other people. You, however are a nice person, now tell me, what is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, and its nice to meet you, Shino-kun. Although I have some fear of insects, I think they are okay to me. I think that you and I will get along just fine, bug boy." Said naruto.

Shino was pretending not to hear that comment from him but smiled at him and said, "Uzumaki Hatake naruto, huh? A very interesting name, although I do find the name to be strange, but you sure seem to be a nice guy. Although I like the name bug boy, everywhere I go, people would call me that. However I don't feel that it is necessary for anyone to call me by that name, just Shino is fine." As Naruto shook his hand, he sees bugs flying towards the blonde and resting on his arms. He felt it uneasy and uncomfortable at first but the bug was pretty gentle on Naruto and he seemed to have taken a big interest in insects. And then Shino shook naruto's hand and returned to his seat.

Next up was Inuzuka Kiba and his dog Akamaru. Akamaru was his best friend and canine companion. And with those two, nothing will separate them. As they walked towards naruto they said to him, "Dude, what's up? I heard that you got pummeled by the civilians big time. Thank god my mom was there to save your ass back there or else you were done for. Anyway I'm Inuzuka Kiba and this is my canine companion, Akamaru. Nice to meet you, Naruto." The dog barked happily as he jumped on the blonde and licked him. "Hey, its good to see you too Akamaru. You are a cute little fellow, and its nice to meet you." Said Naruto, and he shook the dog's paw as a symbol of their true friendship. He even shook Kiba's hand as well.

The next one up was always part slug just like his father. He envies clouds and sleeps a lot and doesn't do anything. As Naruto observed the boy he didn't seem amused but he smiled at him and said, "Hey there lazy dude, how are you? You must be Nara Shikamaru, the genius who has the IQ of over 200. You must be pretty smart and you are great at strategizing when you play shogi and go with your father and Asuma. I'm naruto by the way, and its really nice to meet you, pineapple head." And he shook Shikamaru's hand and smiled at him. Shikamaru looked at Naruto for a moment and was confused but he laughed and said to naruto, 'Well, I'm not that smart, but yes I am a genius and having an IQ of 200 means that I don't need to take any exams and that I could be a chunin easily. You'd probably wanted to learn about Shogi and Go as well, right Naruto? Well, allow me and my dad to teach you the basics of the games, and congrats to your adoption."

"Thanks, Shikamaru. I will make you proud and I won't let you down." Said Naruto. He seemed to like the lazy dude and had full confidence that he will make a great chunin shinobi. "I would like to be a chunin too after graduating from the academy and participating in the chunin exams, but it won't be easy, I have to get a lot of training from your clan and the others as well." Said Naruto.

"Good luck, bro, I look forward to seeing you rising to the top." Said Shikamaru. And he returned to his seat.

The next one up was a girl who was always shy and unable to say a lot of things, but she was kinder than her cousin Neji, and she seemed to be very helpful to people. But she blushes a lot and sometimes faints whenever she sees naruto. Her father said to her, "Don't be frightened, Hinata, Naruto is really a sweet person, but he was abandoned a lot by people. Try to introduce yourself to him, Okay?"

"Uh…. Okay." Said Hinata. And she walked over to Naruto and said to him, "Uh… hello. I'm… I'm... Hyuga Hinata, and I'm... sure you have already met my father, Hiashi, right, Naruto-kun?" said Hinata.

"Yes, we have met before, but I haven't met Neji yet. But you and I will get along really well, won't we, Hinata?" said naruto as he shook her hand gently. But as he did that, Hinata turned bright red and fainted. Naruto sweat-dropped and picked Hinata up from the floor and said to her, "Hinata-sama? Hinata can you hear me? Please wake up, you can't faint in the middle of a party!" But somehow Hiashi walked over and carried her back to their seat and said to naruto, "Don't worry, Naruto-san, Hinata will be just fine, I know she faints a lot, but she has a habit of doing that." As Neji watched, he tried to hid a smile but finally stepped forward and said, "Naruto, I heard that you were adopted by my clan, and I look forward to seeing more of you and its really nice to meet you. And he shook Naruto's hand as well.

Finally, naruto was introduced to Yamanaka Ino, who loves flowers and grows a lot of them in her shop, Akimichi Choji, who eats a lot of food, Tenten, the weapons mistress, Rock Lee the taijutsu expert, and Haruno Sakura, the forehead girl who always liked Sasuke. When she heard about naruto's encounter with the civilians, she also feared for his safety but will try her best to keep him out of danger. Sasuke would also do the same thing for naruto and protecting him from Uchiha Itachi because he feels that his big brother might be up to something which may cause Naruto to lose the uchiha clan that he values dearly. As Naruto looked around the room, he also sees Uchiha Itachi keeping a close eye on him. As Naruto observed him, there was fear that came to his eyes but he ignored it and concentrated on getting a big appetite.

After the introductions were over, the festivities continued and there were lots of food that were on the table. And naruto was dying to eat something because he hasn't had tasted anything like this for a long time. As Choji sat down next to naruto, he looked at the blonde and noticed that he was still feeling a little bit left out after that fiasco and said to him, "Naruto, are you feeling all right? You look as if though you hadn't eaten anything for a while now. Come on let's chow down! Eat it while its hot!"

"Uh… sure, Choji. The foods are great. Let's chow down!" said Naruto. He begins to eat and suddenly, naruto got that sensation inside of him as the fresh aroma of the food was absolutely delicious. He couldn't resist as he continued to gobble down more food until he was completely full. After he finished eating, he turned to choji and said, "Wow, the food that your family made was simply delicious and marvelous. Thanks again, I really appreciate it, Choji. I would love to look forward to seeing some more new foods like these."

Choji smiled at Naruto at how he really got a good taste in food and said, 'It was my pleasure, Naruto. I think you really are a nice person, who values everything in Konoha, don't you? I think you are pretty cool guy and we'll get along pretty well, won't we? Asked Choji.

"Oh, of course, Choji, we'll be best friends forever." Said Naruto.

As naruto spent more and more time with his new found friends, his bondings with them had became stronger and will never be broken. He had developed a strong relationship with his friends, along with Kakashi, Iruka, Kurenai and Asuma because he feels now that he actually does have a family and lots of people that truly cares for him and he wasn't very lonely anymore. Naruto now knows that his friendship won't be torn apart by anyone, not even orochimaru can take his people that mean so much to him away. He looked again at the Hokage and smiled at him because he reminds him of his father, the Yondaime Hokage.

As the party continued Iruka stepped up to the blonde and said, "Hey there, Naruto. I see you are enjoying the party and having alot of fun with your new family, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm having a great time, Iruka. I think my life just got a whole lot easier now and also, with you around, I'll havve a chance to spend time with you because when I look at you, you were special to me, just like the Hokage and everyone else here. You were the father figure that I never had and I feel that we are somehow together at last, and i know you didn't have any parents either because of the kyubii attack. It's probably why this thing is sealed within me right? asked Naruto.

"Oh no, no. whatever is inside of you isn't you, youare not the monster and I don't blame you for what happened on the day that the Kyubii attacked our village. And don't worry, you'll have lots more fun with me and your family at the same time. We'll do lots of great things together. And you are special to me too and I truly do care a lot about you, Naruto-kun. And since I have adopted you into my life, our father and son relationship will grow stronger." said Iruka. He smiled at Naruto and embraced him in a hug.

Naruto was pretty surprised that he got hugged by Iruka, his beloved father figure. This was the first time that he was treated as a special person and not as the demon. Naruto couldn't help but shed tears of joy and he returned the hug and said to him, "Oh Iruka, promise me that you'll never let me be alone, promise me that you'll alwasy be there for me. You were the second person that showed me kindness and gave me the courage to stay strong, i love you, tou-san."

"I love you too, Naruto. And don't worry, I'll always be there for you and will help you anyway I can to make you feel welcomed in Konoha." replied Iruka.

**And that my friends, will conclude this chapter. I know this is a long one but I had to shorten the intro down because I can't waste fifteen pages explaing everyone of Naruto's friends. I will have the next chapter "Starting the academy: two years later" which will introduce naruto to his new sensei, iruka. Please give me a review on this and I'll se you all next week. Peace out.**

**Combatally12**


	5. Chapter 5: The Academy: part 1

Naruto Hatake Hokage Rising

Note: As always I do not own naruto or its disclaimers

Hello again Naruto fans! Another week had passed and I have done lots of editing and updating on my story and I have added a new one entitled "Master of the Sharingan" If you haven't read that one, please do so as I will be adding more chapters to that one within a week. So, Naruto has now been fully introduced to his family and had a family dinner together in the last chapter and had met the mysterious Uchiha Itachi of the Uchiha clan. Today's chapter will focus on naruto starting the academy after two years have passed. He is now 8 years old. And now on with the show.

Chapter 5: Starting The Academy Part 1

Previously on Naruto…

With Naruto now being introduced by his friends at the family dinner, he realizes now that his bond of friendship with them will continue to grow strong and not separated. He had shared strong feelings and cared deeply for Kakashi, Iruka, Kurenai, and Asuma because to him, they were like family to him just like the clansmen of Konoha. He had lots of people that truly loves him and cares for him dearly. And his loneliness was gone. He wouldn't dare allow some s-rank Nuke-nin like Orochimaru take his precious people away from him because it would cost Konoha dearly.

During the festivities, Iruka, the academy instructor, approached the blonde and said to him, "Hey Naruto! I am guessing that you have been successfully adopted by the clansmen of Konoha, right? That's really wonderful to hear, Naruto! I'm very proud of you. And you will have me to take great care of you when you start the academy within two years. But I'm glad to see that you are enjoying the party and spending time with your new family, huh?"

'Oh, yeah. I'm having a blast, Iruka. My life had gotten a lot easier this time around. Besides, I'll have plenty of time to spend with you because you are special to me, and just like the Hokage and everyone else around Konoha. I always considered you as a father figure because you were the first person to acknowledge me and I feel that you and I are together as father and son. I can feel your pain since you parents were killed by the Kyubii and this is one reason why this monster is sealed inside of me." Replied Naruto.

"Oh, of course not. The monster that's inside of you isn't you and you are not the demon. It's not your fault for what happened on the day the Kyubii attacked. Don't worry about a thing, naruto. You and I will have lots of fun together and also the same can be applied for your family. And you are special to me too and I care deeply about you too, Naruto-kun. And just like how the clans had adopted you to become a part of their life, I will do the same for you because our relationship is strong." Replied Iruka as he smiled at Naruto.

This was the first time in naruto's life that he had gotten a hug from Iruka because now, he was being treated as someone special instead of being treated as a demon. Shedding tears of joy, naruto went up to Iruka and gave him a fierce hug and in turn, Iruka gave the hug back to Naruto just as fierce. "Oh Iruka, please promise me that you will be ther for me when I need help. Please don't let me be alone anymore. You were the only friend and family that I ever had, Iruka because you showed me the kindness and gave me the courage to be strong. I love you, Iruka-sensei!" cried naruto.

'Oh, naruto! I love you too. And don't worry, I'll always be there with you and will do my best to make sure you are welcomed and accepted in Konoha." Said iruka as he gently rubbed the blonde's head.

0o0o0o0o0o

**Two years later...**

Naruto was now eight years old after his adoption by all the clans of Konoha. He was almost ready to start his first day off as an academy student. He felt excited about his first day meeting people and making new friends. As he gathered up his supplies and his backpack, he left his old house and could see that his door was still broken and the windows shattered. He assumed that this was the civilians doing because he never got a chance to fix his doors or windows, He thought about abandoning his old home as he feels that his safety was still being endangered. So he had decided to find a new place live that would border the Inuzuka, Aburame, and the Hyuga residences right after school.

As Naruto arrived at the academy, he enters the classroom and sees most of his friends at their desks reading comics, chatting, or eating snacks. Naruto also sees the same Hyuga girl that he met at the party, it was Hyuga Hinata, the sister of Hyuga Neji. As she sees Naruto, she immediately took a liking to him and said, "Uh… Nice to meet you… Naruto-kun."

"Oh, hey Hinata nee-chan. Its good to see you too. I think that as long as we see more of each other, we'll work well together, right, Hinata-chan?" said Naruto with glee.

"Uh…. Yes, of course, Naruto. Thank you." Replied Hinata. As Naruto looked around the room, he could see Shino fine-tuning his bugs, Shikamaru watching clouds, Choji muching on snacks, and kiba and his canine companion and friend, Akamaru reading comics. Naruto smiled at his friends and decided to join on the fun with them. He now has made friends with the four people that he also met at the party earlier. As Naruto walked over to Shikamaru, he tapped him on his shoulders and said, "Hey, pineapple head, wake up! This is no time for you to be sleeping."

As Shikamaru opened his eyes, he sees naruto and said, 'Tch, you really are troublesome, waking me up when I am in a middle of nap. The sensei hasn't arrived yet so will you please let me sleep a little longer, naruto-san? Thank you so much." And he closed his eyes and fell asleep again. Naruto sweat-dropped and thought to himself, "Man, I swear, he is a lazy-ass shinobi, just like his father."

Next up, He went over to Kiba's area and said, "Hey what's up Kiba nee-san? Glad to see you again. And it's also great to see you too, Akamaru. I think you and I will become great friends and rivals. However, I won't lose to you, dog breath." He replied as he cracked a smile.

Kiba immediately stood up and smiled back at him and said, "Let's make this a match we shall never forget. And bring it on, Naruto-san. I will love to see what kind of moves you have. But since you are adopted by my family and many of the others, you will need some serious training and with our help, you'll get stronger. But I won't go easy on you when we go face to face, is that clear?" replied Kiba. Naruto nodded with excitement and he hugged Kiba.

"Hey! Hey! Okay, okay, I know you are happy and all, but don't overdo it in front of me." Said Kiba nervously. He released Naruto from his body and then got back to his seat. Naruto looked around the room to see Hinata's face flushed with red color and others letting out a stifling laughter. Within minutes Umino iruka arrived and the students had gotten back to their seats. "Good morning everyone. I'm sure that all of you had enjoyed the party that the Hokage had set up and first off we want to congratulate Naruto's successful adoption by Konoha!" Soon the entire class stood up and applauded. Naruto took this moment to thank everyone for coming to the party and thanked his friends for being there. He felt that this was one of the best birthday presents that he had gotten so far and the second best was Iruka, his father figure. But statistically, his final birthday present was being adopted by the clans of Konoha because this was something he will cherish forever.

As Naruto looked at Iruka, his father figure and sensei, he now feels more attached to him. But he still remembers that fateful day when the villagers attacked him just because he had the demon inside of him. And this was the nightmare that he didn't want to relive. Anyhow, Iruka stood up and said to the class, "Okay, everyone, its time to begin our lesson on learning what chakra is, how people control chakra, and how people focus chakra. To being a shinobi must first develop chakra in their hands when they want to create techniques like clones, do a transformation, or subsititution. Now, you all have several different types of chakra elements like katon, suiton, futon, doton, and raiton. Now with all of you having these five different kinds of elements, you can perform ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu and many others. For example, a jounin like Hatake Kakashi has Raiton because he is most suited for Lightning techniques. So, in other words, the elemental techniques are also known as chakra-nature-manipulation." Replied Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, I have a question, can the futon element be considered chakra-nature manipulation? I only know that one because I never have learned about fire elements. When people have different elements depending on what country he belongs to, what sort of technique will they be able to do?" asked Naruto.

"To answer your question, naruto, yes, futon is one of the chakra-nature manipulation elements, which is what you have because futon changes chakra to a pure form of energy. Regardless of what country people belong to, all individual shinobi must be oriented to certain basic elements. Take this rubber balloon for example, I'm going to mold chakra into this balloon and use my other hand to create enough energy to make it pop. Since this requires a lot of concentration, it will take some time to master ninjutsu. Now I myself happen to have a ninjutsu technique, the Sealed Bomb Square Release, or fubaku Hojin. I use this jutsu to trap enemies in a cage of exploding tags. If they move, the exploding tags will be triggere and boom; it will send the enemies flying." Answered Iruka.

As naruto pondered this, he was called upon by Iruka and he was asked to do a transformation of someone that was close to him. So he decided to do a transformation of Iruka, but however, on his first few tries, he could only do transformations of Kiba's mother and Sasuke because with him doing Iruka's transformation was somewhat difficult for him. "I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, it's sort of hard for me to do a transformation of you. I'm gonna need some time for that." Replied naruto.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll get it eventually, Naruto. In the meantime, why don't you try creating clones? I know you can do that right?" said Iruka.

Naruto complied and placed his hands together to gather up chakra on his body. He then crossed his fingers and called out, _"Kage Bushin no jutsu!" _Within minutes, several clones of Naruto had appeared. Iruka and the rest of the class were surprised that he was able to learn an advanced ninjutsu for the very first time. Iruka asked Naruto how he was able to learn that technique and Naruto answered truthfully that with the time he spent at the Hokage's place, he was able to make clones with several things at the old man's office. The Hokage had given him some scrolls as practice before he started the academy and he felt good about using them. As Iruka looked at Naruto, he smiled at him for mastering that clone technique and thought to himself, "Naruto, you are already on the path to becoming an excellent shinobi of Konoha. I'm very impressed with you." As Naruto returned to his seat, he resumed his lesson on chakra elements.

"Now, with these five different types of chakra elements, you can easily learn any type of technique like the Fire element: great fireball technique or katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu, which is Uchiha Sasuke's strongest technique of his clan. Other techniques will be made available to you but it would require concentration, skill, and lots of practice in order to master it. And in all good time, you will be able to perfect the five elements and furthermore, you can add them with the combination of ninjutsu and taijutsu to fight enemies who are a huge threat to Konoha. That's all for the lesson of chakra basics. Now, we shall take a short break and after lunch, we'll cover the basics of Ninjutsu." Said Iruka.

As the class was dismissed, naruto went to the practice room, a large training area just underneath the academy classrooms. In here Naruto would sometimes practice throwing shurikens and kunai knives at posts and sometimes on dummies as target practice. As he ate his lunch, he spots Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba coming to join him. They spotted Naruto and said to him, "Hey, Naruto-san. What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Well I was doing some target practice with these dummies using shuriken and kunai knives. As I was practicingm I thought to myself, If I want to become a great shinobi and surpass my father, how am I gong to do that? The answer would be that I would need to train a lot and learn several new techniques in order to face new foes, and be able to work on chakra control. Kakashi always gave me few pointers about chakra and its uses. As I learn more about these uses, will I be able to learn your family's techniques?" he asked his friends.

"Well, yes, you could. It took me a while to learn _Garouga_. And I had to combine clone techniques with my dog Akamaru and with dynamic marking to mark a target and then we have to create Man Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf in order to become a large two-headed wolf. But in order for us to learn this, we had to spin and move rapidly to attack the target, not to mention that this technique can cut a person in two pieces. However, there is a downside to this; power is not without drawbacks. This can blind both me and Akamaru, but it also tires us out and such, we can only do it twice before fulfilling the rest of the requirements. Our mother tells us that its time for me and Akamaru to get stronger together, and she's right. I wouldn't go anywhere without my dog and he and I have been partners and friends for a long time now. Together, we are inseparable. And with you as a part of our family, you will be able to learn our technique in no time." Replied Kiba

"For once, I agree with Kiba. I had to exert a lot of chakra in order to learn and perform the _Kagemane no jutsu _because I am not a long range type shinobi. My Shadow Imitation's original purpose is to delay enemy pursuers in order to let a team to flee. With me using a hand seal, I can stretch my shadow up to twice the length of all the shadows that the projected one touches combined. With a target easily captured, both me and the other combatant will copy each other's movements. However, there is a discrepancy to this; if I use it repeatedly, I would easily tire out because my chakra would be low and the performance rate deteriorates. The other flaw is that a shadow user like me can only stretch or expand my shadow to its total surface area, but this gives me and my clan a great advantage at dusk and dawn. If you want to learn more about it stop by at my house and me and my dad will give you some pointers." Said Shikamaru.

"Thanks, you guys. And I'll look forward to learning some of your techniques. Right now though I just need to see a demonstration of techniques from Choji, Hinata, Ino, Sasuke and your family as well. And I'll be as strong as you guys are and I will do my best to succeed because that's my way of the shinobi. I made a promise to myself to work hard because I am not some meddlesome demon; I am uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure!" he said. As he said this, his friends were most surprised. They admonished the thought but admired him for his bravery and not giving up. As they were about to leave, Sasuke spotted them and as he approached Naruto he said to him, "Hey Dobe, I thought I find you here. You wanted to be the best of the best, huh? Why don't you spar with me? We'll see how good you really are."

As naruto looked at Sasuke for minute, he smiled at him and said, "Bring it on Sasuke! I am dying to see how good you really are." Replied Naruto. As they both took their fighting stances, Sasuke starts throwing a few shurikens at him, but Naruto dodged them quickly without flinching. This time, Sasuke started throwing kunai knives but Naruto used his to block them and send them flying to the other direction. "This dobe is really good, where he learned how to dodge my weapons?" thought Sasuke. He ran through a series of hand signs and called out, "_Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu!_" Soon small fireballs started coming at Naruto but he quickly dodged them using substitution. As more and more fireballs came after Naruto, he started eating them and said, "Hmm, not bad, tastes really good. Keep them coming, Sasuke."

At that moment, Sasuke was a bit enraged at Naruto for what he did. So he decided to start his next attack by doing shadow of the dancing leaf to get behind Naruto while he was airborne and then starts kicking to the left side of Naruto and then a backhand strike to his face, and one straight punch to his gut sending the blonde to the ground and finished with a spin kick with his left heal on the center of naruto as the both hit the ground. "You need more practice to beat me dobe! That was my _Shishi rendan_!" As Naruto looked at him with bruises on his face and chest areas, he couldn't help but smile at him for pulling off a strong attack like that. He got up and shook Sasuke's hand and said, 'You win! I still have a lot more to learn from you, Sasuke. I'll look forward to a rematch soon."

"Heh! I look forward to it too, but I won't go easy on you!" replied Sasuke. He shook Naruto's hand, smiled, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. As iruka arrived to the training site. He was relieved to see Naruto still holding up after his battle with Sasuke and said to him, "Naruto! Thank goodness I found you here. Are you all right?"

"I'm all right, Iruka-sensei. My injuries are relatively minor. Now I think I'm ready to go back and resume learning about ninjutsu. I'm going to finish this lunch first. I'll meet you in the classroom." Replied Naruto.

"Oh, no, no. You are going to eat in the classroom with me and then we can resume our lesson. I fear for your safety, please come with me." Replied Iruka, and he carried Naruto back to the classroom, with Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji following them. As they arrived, Naruto could see Sakura and Ino admiring Sasuke for his brute strength when he beat the blonde. As naruto arrived he saw the raven-haired boy again, but smiled at him as he sat down next to him. The girls looked at Naruto for a moment and said, "Hey, Naruto! How are you feeling now after you took the beating from Sasuke?"

"I'm okay, but now that you mentioned it, Sasuke gave me a serious pummeling, but I can take it. Anyway, you guys must be Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino right? It's nice to finally meet you both, ever since your father Inoichi adopted me; I think I'll learn more about your family's techniques. I'm sure that we'll become the best of friends because I desperately need more people to support me. I was shunned a lot by the villagers and the only two people that acknowledged me were Iruka-sensei and the Hokage because they were like family to me. And now I have the entire clans that will support me all the way because they see me as part of their family as well and now I have you guys as friends and as family, it makes my life a whole lot better now." Replied Naruto.

Sakura and Ino both looked at Naruto and were surprised, they never knew how painful Naruto had felt when he was attacked by the villagers and left for dead. The both were concerned about Naruto and Sasuke's safety but they knew that Naruto had suffered a lot more pain and torture than Sasuke did. So they said to him, "You are a tough guy fighting for survival. What were you thinking putting your life on the line in front of the civilians? You know that they will keep coming back for you, but honestly don't do something crazy like that ever again." They said before putting their hands on his shoulders for comfort. Soon, class was now back in session as Iruka continued his lecture.

"Okay, everyone, pay attention, now that we have covered the basics of chakra control let's talk about the different styles of techniques with chakra. First up is ninjutsu, which as I'm sure that you all know, is pretty much any technique that involves the use of chakra and allows users to do something that they would be incapable of doing. However, Ninjutsu is different from genjutsu, and the effects are real because they rely on chakra and hand seals most of the time. In order for a shinobi to perform ninjutsu, which all of you can do later on as you become genin, it also requires concentration and lots of practice and perfection." Said Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, since we all can perform ninjutsu because of our different elements, can all of them be classified as an elemental jutsu? Because Akamaru and I have only taijutsu and portions of ninjutsu." asked Kiba.

"No, not necessarily. Only some ninjutsu are classified as the elemental jutsu, specifically the five elements like wind, water, fire, earth, or lightning is used. But that, Kiba, is a really good question." Replied Iruka. Some of the students in the academy don't have ninjutsu so they can only do genjutsu. For naruto, he was not skilled in taijutsu but only in ninjutsu and genjutsu. Depending upon which shinobi have these techniques, it all varies on their jutsus and chakra elements.

"All right everyone, I do believe that this concludes our lesson on ninjutsu and we'll cover more on genjutsu and other types of techniques as you learnt hem. Until then, class dismissed." Said Iruka. Within minutes everyone left the classroom except Naruto. Iruka notices that he still hasn't left yet so he asked him, "Everything all right, Naruto? What's on your mind?"

"I'm okay, but I'm kind of worried about Sasuke because whenever I see him, he's always thinking of impressing his family and trying to get them to help him with a lot of things. But with his brother around, it's a different story. I just feel that Sasuke may be in danger and that he could lose his family at any time." Replied Naruto.

"About Sasuke? I don't think you should worry too much about him. He and his family still cares a lot about you and I know that you feel as though he needs protection. You've treated him as if he was a brother to you and I get the feeling that you would be a part of his family much better that Itachi, right?" asked Iruka.

"I think so, but his brother doesn't seem to be that much of a threat to me, but I should check on him just in case. I'll send a clone over to his compound to make sure everything will be okay. I'll see you later, Iruka." Replied naruto, and he left the classroom. As he exited the academy, he sent a clone over to Sasuke's house to keep an eye on his family to make sure nothing dangerous had happened yet. As his clone got there, he spots Sasuke training at the compound. His mother and father are currently out on a mission. When Itachi returned from his mission he sees Sasuke and said to him, "Hey nee-san, still training I see. Why don't you take a little break because you need to relax your body once in a while."

"Sure, Itachi nee-san, I'll be finished soon. Where are mom and dad?" asked Sasuke.

"They are out on a mission right now and will be back later this evening." Replied Itachi as he placed his backpack down to the ground. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he dispersed of his clone and disappeared without being seen. Soon Sasuke spotted something in the front yard and asked Itachi, "Nee-san, what was that?"

"I'm sure it was just the wind, now wash up and get ready to finish your homework." Replied Itachi.

Naruto was relieved to see that Sasuke wasn't in danger but he hoped for the best as he arrived home, but as he opened the door, he was dismayed to find his place torn apart and windows shattered and furniture broken. He was angered as he found out that it was the civilians who had done this, but there was also a second shocking revelation. He discovered some sort of nasty writing on his door that was nearly broken and it said "Kill the demon Naruto, we want him dead. And 100000 ryo will be offered as a reward." There was a photo of the kid and the fox on there as well. With that, naruto was even more frightened now as he dashed away from his home and ran towards the Inuzuka compound for safety.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENEING TO ME! WHEN WILL THE VILLAGERS STOP HARRASSING ME!!!" screamed Naruto as he ran down the street of Konoha. He turned to the corner where he sees a large number of dogs resting outside the front yard of the Inuzuka compound. He banged on the door and said, "Tsume oka-san, please open up! This is an emergency; my home has been totally destroyed!"

Soon Kiba and his sister arrived and opened the door and sees naruto. "Hey there. What are you doing here in our garden? Aren't you supposed to be home now?" asked Kiba.

"Please, you got help me, Kiba-kun. I've lost my home to the dreaded civilians and I need to stay here for the night, please!!!! I can't stand the civilians anymore. First it was me and now my house has been wrecked. I beg of you, you got to help me!" cried Naruto.

"Naruto, its going to be okay, calm down! Let us see what happened." Replied Hana. Soon she and Naruto walked down the street of Konoha and arrived at naruto's house, but she was shocked at what she saw as the house that Naruto once lived in was now completely messed up by civilians and everything inside had been completely destroyed as well with furniture lying around, windows shattered, doors coming apart and chairs broken. She knew that this damage had to have come from the civilians and sure enough, the writing on the door was enough evidence for that.

**And cut…. That would be the cliffhanger ending for the first part of this story. I know this seems to be long but it isn't so I have to split this into two parts to make a perfect conclusion. I'll be working on part 2 of this next Friday entitled Finding a new home Part 2. Please rate and review and I'll see you all next week. Peace out.**

**Combatally12**


	6. Chapter 6: New Home: Part 2

Naruto Hatake Hokage Rising

Note: As I said in previous chapters and at the start of the story I don't own Naruto or its disclaimers.

Hey naruto Fans! The day has officially come to conclude the two part academy arc before the start of a new chapter next week. In the previous episode, 8 year old Naruto Hatake Uzumaki starts the academy and meets his friends and his instructor, Iruka and here he learns about chakra control and all kinds of jutsu techniques. He also meets Uchiha Sasuke for the first time and in the end, he loses his home to the cvilians. I'll have more for you tomorrow afternoon. For now it's a preview.

Chapter 6: Finding a new Home: part 2

Previously on naruto…

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when he knows that Sasuke was not actually in danger, but was actually training to get stronger to surpass Itachi. He hoped for all the best to Sasuke. As Naruto arrived home, he had a worried look on his face when he noticed that his door was broken down. He knew something was not right the moment the door swung open as he walked inside. He was shocked to see his house badly destroyed and furniture lying all around and cupboard doors nearly had broken down. Naruto knew that this damage was from the civilians, and he was deeply upset and angered. The second shocking revelation that Naruto saw was the wanted poster of him dead and the reward to anyone for killing the demon.

At this moment Naruto was too scared as he dashed out of his home and ran down the street of Konoha and turned around the corner to the Inuzuka compound for safety.

"NOOOOOOOOO! WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME! WHY!? I DIDN'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN WHEN WILL THE VILALGERS STOP HATING ME!?" screamed Naruto as he arrived at Kiba's house. He knocked on the door and called out, 'Tsume oka-san! This is an emergency! My house has been totally destroyed and I need your help! Please let me in!"

Soon, Kiba and his sister, Inuzuka Hana, heard the blonde knocking at the door and opened it to see naruto all out of breath and looking very upset. "Naruto! Oh my god! What the hell happened to you? You were supposed to be home now, what are you doing in our front yard?" asked Kiba worriedly.

Oh, Kiba-kun! Thank goodness you are here. I really need your help, my home has been destroyed by the dreaded civilians and now I have no place left to go. Please let me stay here in your house for the night, I can't stand the civilians anymore. It wasn't just me to be tortured, now they damage my own house? That's not right!" said Naruto. He wiped a few tears from his eyes.

"What!? Are you serious? Oh my god! All right, come on in Naruto. Let me get you a drink of water to help calm you down. I don't want you to have a heart attack and don't scare us, please." Replied Kiba. As Naruto sat down on the couch, he relaxed for a bit to help calm his nerves down. Hana than sat down next to Naruto and said to him, "Its going to be okay Naruto. This isn't your fault after what the civilians had done. Let's go see what happened. You suffered too much already in your childhood. Come on, I Think its best if you stayed at Kakashi's place for safety. But first, we need to check your house to see the extent of the damage."

After Naruto drank the water, he and Hana went outside and headed towards Naruto's place. When they got there, she was dismayed to see Naruto's home destroyed with nothing left. She knew that the damages were done by the civilians. So she called upon the Anbu team to investigate this. Naruto couldn't believe what had happened and he couldn't take this anymore. Hana placed her hands on his shoulders to help calm him down and said, "Naruto, don't worry. I'm sure this is temporary. But you'll have a new place to live in Konoha soon. Once you are fully rested up at Kakashi's area, than come to our house until then, does that sound good to you?"

Sure, but I desperately hope this will put me out of the civilian's harm. And I do need protection and lots of it. After what the civilians did to my home, it is totally unacceptable." Replied Naruto. And they went off into the direction to Kakashi's place. Minutes later, they arrived and knocked on the door. The voice inside heard the knock and arrived at the door step and said, "Yes? Who is it"

Naruto knew that voice had to have come from Pakkun, Kakashi's smallest ninken. "It's me, Uzumaki Hatake Naruto! My house has been completely destroyed by the civilians and I have no place left to stay. Is this the residence of Hatake Kakashi? If so, please let me stay here with you, Kakashi-san. Youa re the only person that can keep me company until I find a new place to live." Replied Naruto. And sure enough Kakashi placed his book down on the table and opened the door; he was surprised to see Naruto outside. So he lets him in, followed by Kiba's sister.

0o0o0o0o0

"Naruto? What are you doing here at this time of the day? Is everything all right?" asked Kakashi. He knew that something was not right as Naruto sat down on the couch. Naruto explained to Kakashi that his house was completely totaled by the civilians. He also handed him a piece of paper that showed the picture of the Kyubii brat to be executed. As Kakashi saw the picture, sweat started cringing down his face and he feared that Naruto was in even more danger than before. He tried not to let this thing haunt him for the rest of his life. So he said to him, "Oh boy, looks like the villagers just won't stop until you are dead. All right, I'll let you stay here for the night. It will be all right, naruto, I won't let anything happen to you." Replied Kakashi as he hugged Naruto in a tight embrace. Even some of his ninken, including Pakkun, climbed on the couch and licked Naruto's face hoping the best for him.

"Hana-chan, thanks again for bringing Naruto here. I have a feeling that Naruto has become a serious threat to Konoha for some reason and with his home destroyed, it would be best if he had lived closer to the ANBU headquarters that borders your area, the Naras, and the Hyuga residences, I think that would ensure full round-the-clock protection for him" said Kakashi worriedly.

"No problem, and yeah, I definitely think that would be best for him. However, this could only be temporary as he stays at your area. After Naruto stays here for the night, please escort him to our house because ever since his adoption by our clan, our mother, seems to have taken an interest in him and wants Naruto to be a part of her family. I think she's kind of worried about his safety as well." Replied Hana.

As Kakashi nods his head about Hana's suggestion, he turned to Naruto and said to him, "Well, Naruto. I'm sorry to hear that your house has been permanently destroyed, I do feel that it's much better for you to stay at Iruka's place afterwards, what do you think?"

"Sure, if it will help me to get away from those civilians, I would be glad to stay with the family that I love the most, but first can you do me a favor?" asked Naruto.

"What is it?" replied Kakashi.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, I won't let you suffer the same fate like what I have been going though. I can't let my family, my friends, or the people that I love get hurt, they are so precious to me and they mean a lot to me." Replied Naruto sadly.

"Don't worry about us, Naruto. We'll be fine. You haven't eaten yet, have you?" replied Kakashi

Naruto told Kakashi that he was extremely hungry and so he was taken to Ichiraku's for some ramen. As they arrived, Naruto greeted the chef, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame. "Hello Ayame chan, Teuchi-san. I would like miso ramen with pork and vegetables this time around, please." The chef smiled at him and said, "You are really eager to grow up big and strong, aren't you? Very well, one miso ramen with port coming right up!" Kakashi looked at Naruto for a moment and was impressed that Naruto was willing to eat vegetables for the first time. "Naruto, you really are growing up and eating something new for a change. I'm very impressed with you, son." Kakashi thought to himself as he placed his hand on the blonde's head and smiled.

After Naruto finished his dinner, he paid for his meal and then Kakashi took him back to his home for the night. At home, kakashi decided to ask Naruto to show him what he had learned at the academy about chakra usage and control. Naruto told Kakashi everything about chakra in depth and showed him where chakra can be used based on the five senses. Also, Naruto showed him his clone technique, which he mastered quickly with the help of the hokage and the scroll that was given to him before he started the academy. Kakashi was very impressed with Naruto's first successful technique and his understanding of chakra. Afterwards, Naruto felt too tired to continue and lied on the ground, but Kakashi picked him up, placed him on the bed and tucked him in.

The next morning, Naruto woke up, ate breakfast, and headed over to the academy to start taijutsu class. As he arrived, he sees his friends and Sasuke as well. Kiba walked up to naruto and asked him, "Good morning, Naruto. My mom told me about what happened to your house, Are you all right?"

"No, not really. I felt homeless after seeing my precious home ruined and destroyed. How could they do that to my own home? My life, as you know it, has been completely ruined." replied Naruto.

"You are not the only one who lived a harsh and a miserable life, Naruto. I myself had lost a family member that I loved so much. I hated the branch family and I couldn't suffer that fate any longer. My father's twin brother, Hyuga Hiashi had suffered the same fate as me and rarely compliments us. But he is a sweet and a gentle person and we love him for who he is. He encourages us to do our best and when you and I battle, we'll make it a memorable one, but I won't go easy on you, Naruto." Replied the figure as he walked in. Hinata was surprised to see her cousin, Neji arriving at the academy and Naruto was even more surprised.

"Hey Neji, good to see you, and I'm sorry to hear about what you had to go through. But you must understand, that deep down, Hiashi cares a lot about you and Hinata. He encourages her do her best didn't he, and he mentioned to you that whatever happened to your father wasn't your fault and he doesn't blame you for that, When he first saw me suffering a cruel fate at the hands of the civilians, he knew immediately that I can't go through the same pain you went through. That's why he adopted me into your family so that I am able to live on good terms with your clan because he feels that I can change your life. Even though I lost my father, the Yondaime Hokage, his memories still lives within my heart." Replied Naruto.

At that moment, Neji let out a smile, which showed that Naruto really cares for Neji's well being, as well as the well-being of other people around him. "Thanks, Naruto. You've made me feel a whole lot better. You may be a strange one, but to me you have taught me something and together, we'll become the best of friends." He replied. Minutes later the rest of the students arrived, including Iruka. "Good morning, crew! I hope you are all rested up after yesterday's lesson on chakra and jutsu techniques. Before we start on taijutsu, I just wanted to inform about the bad news. Naruto had lost his home to the civilians last night when he was leaving the academy. When the Hokage told me this, I knew immediately that Naruto was in grave danger. But even though he lost his home permanently, it's up to you to let Naruto stay with one of you for a night or so until this situation is resolved, thanks so much." Replied Iruka.

The class looked at each other with worried looks and Sasuke was a bit worried too. "Why did this have to happen to Naruto? Hasn't that dobe suffered enough already? I think its time we had a talk with our family and set up a meeting at the Hokage's office to discuss full round-the-clock protection for Naruto" thought Sasuke.

Anyway, Iruka began his lesson. "Okay, class. Now that you have mastered the basic understanding of chakra and its uses, along with ninjutsu and genjutsu. We are going to start with something called Taijutsu, which as many of you know, is a basic form of jutsu that does not require chakra use, but it may be used at enhancing techniques. In general, taijutsu is not like genjutsu or ninjutsu where you use hand seals to perform moves. So what I meant by no hand seals in taijutsu, you are able to execute hand to hand combat much more quickly and they are much easier to use than genjutsu or ninjutsu. That's as simple as it is.

"Master Iruka, since most of us have taijutsu, does it require the ability of kekkei genkai? After all, if we have taijutsu, can we combine it with our bloodline limit to finish off enemies much more quickly? Naruto has a bloodline limit just like his father and he is able to use taijutsu, right?" said Sakura.

'True, but not all of us have bloodline lmits, or the Kekkei Genkai. But let me explain to you what that is. The Kekkei genkai are bloodline limit abilities that are passed down to specific clans. Even though their related jutsu can't be taught or copied, like Kakashi's sharingan for example. Obito did pass his sharingan technique to Kakashi when he was on team Minato; this was before Naruto was born. Anyway, it is possible that the bloodline limit can confer the ability to the next person if it is localized in a particular organ like the eyes via organ transplant, like when Obito did pass his sharingan technique to Kakashi when he was on team Minato, this was before Naruto was born. Have you guys heard that Kekkei genkai abilities work via the user's eye called the dojutsu? Also, for your information Kekkei Genkai is called bloolimit techniques." Said Iruka.

As the others pondered this question further, Naruto did remember that his family figure told him about their Kekkei Genkai abilities and how they had passed it down to their sons and daughters. But he had wondered the question about how he had a bloodline limit just like his father Minato Namikaze. Naruto knows that in order for him to get the answer he needs, he must go see the Hokage after class. Even though some of his friends in Konoha have bloodline limits like him, he now knows that their techniques are strong. Naruto also knows that his family figures are the most powerful clans in Konoha and he will remember it for life.

"Okay everyone; I want you all to go to the dojo area in the academy where I want you to spar with each other using taijutsu but without the use of hand seals. I am going to have a proctor watch over you and I'll be evaluating your progress. Now get moving, and good luck everyone. And soon everyone left the classroom and went downstairs tot eh dojo to spar with each other.

Within minutes, they arrived at the dojo where all the equipments and the dummies were kept for target practice. This had caught naruto's interest as the least time he was there; he had been practicing his shuriken and kunai knife throwing at the dummies. Soon, the entire class assembled at the dojo where each of them will have a partner to spar with. The sparring partners went like this:

Round 1 Kiba vs Naruto

Round 2 Sakura vs Ino

Round 3 Hinata vs Choji

Round 4 Shikamaru vs Shino

Round 5 Sasuke vs Neji

Round 6 Lee vs Tenten

Soon Naruto and Kiba started their taijutsu sparring match with using hand to hand combat. As they began, naruto called upon his clones and began their barrages of punches on Kiba, but he had dodged them too easily. As more and more clones moved in, Naruto moved in for the kill but he suddenly realized that Kiba used rreplacement technique and he came upon behind Naruto and unleashed numerous kicks and punches on the blonde. But Naruto was not about to give up as he had unleashed another trick up his sleeve. He than did the same thing that Sasuke did and called out, _"U-uz-ma-ki, Naruto Rendan!" _And that had ended the first taijutsu match with Naruto declared the winner. As he walked over to Kiba, he pulled him up from the ground and said to him, "Hey bro, are you all right? I am so sorry for going rough on you like that." Replied Naruto.

"No, it's quite all right. I've enjoyed my sparring match with you. You are really good at using taijutsu, you know that, Naruto? Even with your shadow clone technique, you should have no problem with learning and mastering _Garouga_." Replied Kiba as he smiled at Naruto. After Naruto helped, Kiba to his feet, Iruka observed their match and was very pleased with the results. He tried not to let fear cloud his mind but said to them, "Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun, great job on your match and I have to say, I am really impressed at you went head to head without using hand seals for taijutsu, congratulations to you both. You've both made me proud." Replied Iruka as he placed his hands on both of the boys' shoulders.

Naruto and Kiba were glad that Iruka had complimented them both for a job well done and they both hugged him. Afterwards, they both rested up to watch the rest of the match.

"Hey Kiba, do you think that we will become execellent shinobi of Konoha if we continue training like this? We could be ready to face new enemies like Orochimaru or Zabuza at anytime." said Naruto.

"That would be a big possibility, Naruto. But we still need to work on getting your situation resolved about finding a new home. The Hokage is asking for a meeting at his office right after school ends and the Anbu would need your presence immediately. Our families will be there as well so you don't have to be afraid of anything. We'll back you up during the meet, all right, pup?" replied Kiba.

"Thanks Kiba. I just seriously need to tell the Hokage and the Anbu to let the civilians leave me alone and I don't need their campaign of harassment any longer." said Naruto. "Those damn bakas! I swear I will get them back for what they did to me and my house!" though Naruto angrily.

About a half hour later, the sparring matches were done and the rest of the winners were announced. Hinata defeated Choji with her jyuken, Sakura and Ino's match was a draw, Shikamaru won his match by default, Neji defeated Sasuke with his 8 trigrams 64 palms, and Lee defeated Tenten with his strongest technique, the _Konoha Sempuu._ Iruka evaluated the rest of the students and was pretty surprised at how well they all mastered taijutsu without the use of hand seals. "These students are just simply amazing with their talented techniques, and I think they will be able to become genin very easily. I'm just so proud of them." Iruka thought to himself.

As the students started their lunch break, they often talked to each other about their matches or about their new techniques. Naruto sat down next to his best friend Shikamaru and Choji while eating his lunch and said, "Shikamaru, how did you win your match anyway? You didn't even do anything but just using your shadow? You could have used Shadow bind technique and you would have won easily, pineapple head." Replied Naruto, he was not amused at how Shikamaru won his match.

"Tch! You really are troublesome, I do not have the strength to continue much longer and I would have come up with many other strategies to win that match with Shino, but it's a big waste of my time so bug boy had to forfeit and the proctor declared me a winner, so there, are you happy now?" replied Shikamaru.

Naruto sweat-dropped without saying anything and as he looked over at Choji, he was still eating snacks and said to him, "Uh… Choji? You should spend more time training to get stronger instead of eating." Replied Naruto.

"Don't get your briefs in a bunch, Naruto. I will get stronger when the time is right." Replied Choji.

After lunch was over, everyone had left the academy for the day and then returned home except for Naruto, who was still worried about his own safety and feared that the civilians may come after him again. As he left, he sat down on a bench on the streets of Konoha hoping that the civilians would leave him alone but no sooner than that, a silver-haird chunin appeared in front of him and said, "Hey Naruto! What brings you here? And why the long face?"

"Oh, hey Mizuki. I'm just worried that if I come across the civilians, they are most likely to attack me again because of the beast sealed inside of me. I just want to live a normal life in Konoha without having everyone seeing me as a monster. I want them to see me as a hero." Replied Naruto.

Mizuki felt concerned and worried for Naruto as he placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder and said to him, "Don't let that bother you, Naruto. Just forget the civilians and ignore them. It's not your fault that your father sealed the kyubii inside of you, but I see you as someone special and not as the demon. I think its best if you talk to the Hokage about what happened and maybe he'll be able to clear it up for you." Replied Mizuki.

Naruto thanked the man and went off to the direction of the Hokage's office, but Mizuki soon started to have that evil look on his face, "Yeah, that's right, run to the Hokage, you damn demon! He can't help you now. I will kill you first, Naruto and your precious father figure Iruka too! Hehehehe!" he thought evilly as he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Minutes later, Naruto arrived at the Hokage's office and sees the Anbu outside. So he walked up to them and asked, "Excuse me, Anbu-san. Did the Hokage say something about a meeting at his office and that all clan family members must attend?"

"Yes, he did say that, and we are also discussing about where you will be living since your home was destroyed. We all know what you are going though and it is totally unacceptable after what we saw. The Hokage has decided that you need round-the-clock protection because he feels that is the best option for you." Replied the Anbu guards.

"Round the clock protection?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Yes we hereby announce that you are to stay fully protected by your family and friends until further notice. In other words, we hereby place you under the custody of your family figures. This is only temporary, Naruto. So you don't need to worry about anything, we are doing our best to keep you safe in Konoha." Replied the purple haired kunoichi as she smiled at Naruto.

"Thanks so much Anbu-san, I'll see you guys later!" replied Naruto. And he went off to the Hokage's office. As he arrived, he knocked on the door and heard his grandfather saying, "Enter!" As the door opened, Naruto stepped in and asked, 'Ji-chan, you wanted to see me to talk about me getting full protection?"

"Yes, Naruto. You weren't the only one that I called here to inqure about your safety." Replied the Hokage.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

The Hokage ordered his secretary to fetch his family members right away and within minutes, they have arrived. As Naruto turned, he was surprised to see them as the same people that adopted him earlier after the civilians had left Naruto for dead. Naruto knew that it was his grandfather that told his family about what had happened the day he started the academy, but he tried not to let fear strike his heart.

"Tou-sans, oka-sans, what are you doing here? I thought you guys were still on a mission outside of Konoha. Let me guess, you must have figured out about what happened to me that had left me homeless, right?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, when the Hokage told us about what had happened, we had no other choice but to make sure that you are out of danger. Now, why don't you to tell us exactly what had happened on the day after you left the academy, and be honest, okay?" said Inoichi.

"Well, it was like this. When I left the academy, I went to check up on Sasuke to make sure that he wasn't in any sort of danger because I don't want him to become a victim of being an orphan like I was. This was before I went home. I had sent a clone to check upon the Uchiha compound to make sure everything was okay and when it was, I started to head home, but when I got to my house, I had found something wasn't right the moment I entered. I found the door broken down and this mysterious note of me wanting to be executed with 100000 ryo award. As I went inside, that's when it hit me and my house was in ruins now." Replied Naruto. He paused for a moment to wipe some tears from his eyes and continued. "I had a feeling that it was the civilians' doing so I had to run to your house for some help, oka-san."

Tsume looked at him for a moment and frowned. "You were at my home when all this happened? Well, wasn't that was brave of you to run all the way to my area for safety, pup, but why did you decide to come all the way to our house?" she asked him.

"I had no other place to go. And I always see civilians trying to hunt me down. So I was hoping that maybe I can stay at your home for the night until I could find a new place to live that borders your house, the Naras, and the Hyugas. Not to mention, I need a place that is close to the Hokage's office and the Anbu headquarters." Replied Naruto.

Tsume was pretty surprised at what Naruto had done but smiled at him and said, "You really are a sneaky little runt for coming to my house seeking help, but I have to say, I am proud of you for figuring out what to do when you were in a situation like this. But next time, even when I am not at home, just wait outside for me in the garden." Naruto could feel her hand rubbing his head gently as he sat down next to her.

The other clans turned to the Hokage and inquired that they need to see Naruto having full round the clock protection and support because they feel that he won't have to suffer another incident like this anymore and that all the burden being put on him would be taken away.

"Hokage-sama, We all feel that Naruto may still be having that painful memory of when he was being left for dead in the streets of Konoha. But we'll try to do our best to help him anyway possible. But besides with him living with Tsume for the time being, he would be much better suited living with all of us until he is able to find a new home here in Konoha without having the troublesome civilians bothering him each time." Replied Shikaku.

"I agree with Shikaku. While Konoha continues to shun him and harassing him, Don't you think it would be better if he had someone to keep an eye on him? Yes, I would definitely think so. Iruka came by at my house right after he left the academy to speak to me about Naruto's safety, and he is willing to let Naruto stay with him for a couple of nights until he is given a new home." Replied Shibi.

"I see, well. I think its best if we ask Naruto about whose house to stay in." replied the Hokage. As he sat down next to Naruto on the couch he said to him, "Well, Naruto, here is the plan, we decided that you need to live with your family members until we are able to find you a new place to live that borders my office and the Anbu HQ. Does that sound good to you?"

"Sure, I would love that." Replied Naruto.

"Very well, then, who do you want to stay with for the night?" asked the Hokage.

"Well, I would like to stay with Kiba's family for a night first, then Iruka's place for two days or so, then the Aburames for a few days, and the Naras, Akimichis, Hyugas, and the Yamanakas. And finally, for the Uchihas, I would like to personally meet Uchiha Itachi if Sasuke would allow it." Replied Naruto.

"I'm sure Sasuke would agree with that, Naruto-kun. Replied the Hokage. "What do you all think, clansmen of Konoha?"

"We think that would be a wonderful idea for Naruto. After all, we are the ones that adopted him and would back him up anyway possible. It is his duty to keep our home safe from danger." Replied Hiashi.

And thus, Naruto now spends time with his adopted family. He felt a lot safer now that he wasn't bothered by the civilians as much. Sometimes he would stay with Kakashi and Iruka and have them read to him or let him practice some techniques from scrolls. Other times Naruto would stay with the Hokage and they would sometimes play cards, watch the sunset, go shopping, and do other fun things He now felt a lot better and a lot safer with the anbu guarding him to make sure he stays out of danger.

**And that my friends, concludes part 2 of this chapter. I know it seems to be long but I had to introduce Mizuki to the story at this chapter. He is the one that would try to harm Naruto and his family and by tricking him to take a scroll from the Hokage Tower, but that will occur in a later chapter entitled "Graduation." I will introduce Mizuki's plot in that story later on as my story continues. The next chapter will be entitled "Kurenai's genjutsu training" I had put a lot of thoughts and ideas in this chapter to make it perfect. Please read it and tell me what you think of it with some reviews. I'll see you all next week and peace out.**

**Combatally12 **


	7. Chapter 7: Happy Birthday, Naruto

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Note: I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't own Naruto.

Hello again to all Naruto fans! I would like to take this time to thank all of those who read and reviewed my story. I really have a lot of confidence in myself in writing fan fiction stories. Now that my grandfather's funeral is over, I can get back on track, I won't want to disappoint you fans. Anyway, here is the inside scoop, Naruto was now given a chance to celebrate his tenth birthday and an opportunity to train with his family to learn the art of their tehcniques. His family will set up a special training program for him along with their sons and daughters.

Chapter 7: Happy Birthday Naruto

Previously on Naruto

As Naruto spent the night with the Nara family, he continued practicing his genjutsu training to make sure he had completely mastered it before he can move on to other things. As Naruto combined his clone techniques with his genjutsu, the Naras would help him add some strategies to defeat his opponents much quickly with no hand seal use at all. The more time Naruto spends with his adoptive family, the more new techniques he'll learn from them.

"So even if I keep using my clone technique and the genjutsu I learned so far, it may not be enough to defeat my opponents, but it will slow them all down at least." Thought Naruto. While he spent time playing shogi and practicing the basic movement with Shikamaru, the lazy-assed kid said to him, "You are learning well from playing Shogi, but still you left your left flank exposed and your men are in grave danger. I predict that you'll be checkmated in the next few turns by me, so you better watch out." Said Shikamaru, and within a few turns, Naruto was defeated. Naruto had to admit that he played well, but not as well as pineapple head.

"Nice game, pineapple-head. You may have beaten me, but I still have a lot to learn from you, don't I?" said Naruto.

"You still do, but you'll learn more about the difficult moves later on as you continue the game." replied Shikamaru.

After Naruto played another game of Shogi and with him learning the demonic illusion technique, he was all set to go to get ready for his birthday.

"Naruto, I want you to use three clones on me and try using one of your genjutsus on me as practice." said Itachi.

"Okay, here goes. One Genjutsu technique, coming right up!." said naruto. He then made a couple of handseals and called out, "Genjutsu: Ambush!" Within minute Naruto teleported behind Itachi and took out a Kunai knife ready to strike and slashes Itachi right behind the neck, but Itachi used a replacement technique and teleported to a hiding place at the Uchiha compound. As Itachi hid, he called out to naruto, "Heh! you thought you could out smart me witha move like that? You are going to have to do a lot better than that if you are going to hit me at a point blank range." He then activates his sharingan and turned the world into darkness and then the scenery was changed. Naruto knew that this was Tsukoyomi, Itachi's pwoerful genjutsu. He then finds himself tied to a pole with Itachi using a sword to poke at the blonde repeatedly for the next 72 hours. "How does it feel to be wincing through all that pain? You should beg mercy from me and then perhaps you will live as a lifeless shinobi with no memory." said Itachi.

"Is this some sort of genjutsu you put on me?" said naruto. he wanted to escape from this dream-like realm but he couldn't. So he said to itachi, "I give up, I can't take this anymore. Pelase let me out of this darkness." said Naruto.

"I'm glad you see it my way. You still have a lot more to work on if your genjutsu Ambush is going to work on me. But you msut remember, the technique will not work right away the first time you perform it because it takes lots of practice, but at least your skills at this technique is getting better and better. keep up the practice, and eventually you will uscceed in genjutsu techniques." said Itachi with a smile.

"Thanks, itachi-san, I'll make you proud of me because I had made a pledge to Konoha that I will keep this place safe from anyone that dares to invade here and start slaughtering people becuase the people of Konoha are precious to me and I cannot allow my grandfather to be harmed in any way." said Naruto as he left the Uchiha compound and headed over to his new home getting ready for his big day.

0o0o0o0o0

After weeks of practicing, Naruto focused on creating multiple clones to continue with the demonic viewing technique, and he had his clones practice it using their own selves. But he found himself to be very tired so he lied down on the couch and took a long nap. Itachi quickly carried Naruto upstairs to Sasuke's room and placed him on the bed next to his younger brother and left the room.

Naruto spent the night dreaming about how next raining session and how well he was going to progress on the new technique, and Sasuke was dreaming about how to surpass Naruto and Itachi all together since his new brother was adopted into their clan. Then after a few weeks, the demonic illusion tehcnique that Naruto work ed on wsa perfected and he was ready to use it at his own pace, but only use it as a last resort when he is out numbered by a large number of enemies.

Naruto then heads over to the Inuzukas to practice taijutsu because of the fact that he can manipulate wind nature chakra. As he turned to the corner of the streets of Konoha, he arrived at the Inuzuka compound where the dogs were. As he entered, the dogs padded over to him and sat down next to him, even Kuromaru as well. Tsume, who was feeding the dogs, walked over to Naruto and explained to him about the type of exercises that they will do together to help perfect Naruto's taijutsu. She greeted Naruto in a friendly manner while smiling.

"Welcome, Naruto. And thank you for coming. Okay, for you to master taijutsu, you need to do weight lifting, swimming, jogging and many other exercises. Also, the way you defeated Kiba in the sparring match at the academy, I was very impressed by what you had done. But still, your taijutsu could use some work and improvement." Said Tsume.

'Of course, I understand. Thanks." Said Naruto. "But there is more to it than just taijutsu alone right?"

"Naruto." Tsume said in a sadistic tone. "Don't go there. That's being rude to Lee, you know. Don't get cocky, your fighting stance was okay, but taijutsu needs some more work, you understand? After all, you wanted to surpass your father, right? It's time for you to get stronger, boy." Naruto nodded as she placed her hands on the boy's shoulder.

"I do, but when I was in the academy, Iruka always tested my taijutsu with some sparring and explained the basics of the movements and all. He said the only way for me to master it is by doing some practice punches on some dummies in the gym or doing kicks on mannequins. Other times, I would do the crossblock to completely flatten enemy opponents without even moving my arm." said Naruto.

"Cross-block? You mean, using your elbow to pound the opponent to the ground and holding them down preventing them to get up?" asked Tsume.

"That's right, Tsume oka-san. That's the cross-block." said Naruto. Tsume was surprised that he had learned that move and she tried to rememeber what Kakashi had said earlier.

_**Flashback**_

'_Tsume-san, there is something that I would like to tell you. Naruto has a hidden ability which kind of surprises me." Said Kakashi._

"_What sort of hidden ability?" asked Tsume._

"_Naruto has the ability to manipulate wind nature chakra. When he trained with me, I was surprised that he was able to take his time to cut a leaf in half. I was wondering myself where he was able to learn this." Said Kakashi._

_Tsume looked at him for a moment and wasn't concerned at first, but she was pretty surprised at Naruto's ability. "Naruto has become one with the wind now, huh? This must be some sort of a bloodline limit that he and his father has, right? I think that I can help him with a couple of my family's techniques because he might be able to face tougher opponents later on." said Tsume._

"_Yes, but we must not allow Mizuki to spread the word about this to anyone or else Konoha would be in serious jeopardy. When his father died, he passed down his techniques to his new born son, Naruto and tells him to keep the village safe from intruders. Ever since the civilians attacked him, he still had the power to hold them back for what they did to him. I was also thinking about teaching him one of my techniques, the chidori, but it could take a while," said Kakashi._

"_I see, so he is planning to learn all of our family's techniques, is that what you are saying?" asked Tsume._

_Kakashi nodded, he knew that Naruto would be put under the great care of Tsume and by his tenth birthday, Naruto would be able to successfully learn all of his family's jutsus without any problems._

_**End Flashback**_

Tsume remembered that time that she and Kakashi had that talk and so she had completely understood about Naruto's bloodline limit and the special ability that he had. Within a few days, Naruto had combined his clone technique and both had spun around like crazy cutting through trees and underground using the man beast clone. Also, he spent some time sparring with Kiba and in the end; dog breath had defeated him and claimed that Naruto still had a lot more to learn from the Inuzukas. Naruto thanked them for their time together. He will always remember the training that he did with the and will continue to hone his skills to face new enemies.

As Naruto continued his training with his other family members, he hasn't made much progress at the start, but with the help of his sisters, cousins, and their fathers, he was able to get it right the second time around and by theend of the week or two, he was able to use gentle fist, parasitic insect jutsus and many others, including the byakugan. Within two years later, Naruto was able to learn kakashi's lightning blade and Jiraiya's rasengan after that. As his adoptive grandfather, the sandaime Hokage and his father, Iruka, watched, they were amazed at Naruto's amazing abilities and decided now that he was ready for the real thing. Even his family was proud of him as well. "Naruto is such a strong shinobi, with all that power not even Orochimaru can stop him now." thought Kakashi. He had faith that Naruto would be fine as long as he stood his ground and will prevent any person bad mouthing him. As Itachi watched from the Hokage tower, he was more than happy now that Naruto had mastered his genjutsu technique because if oto shinobi does attack, he'll have a very unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

**Two years later…. **

It was Naruto's tenth birthday, but he was a bit nervous about it because today was a special day for him, the day he would honor his father, the yondaime hokage. As Naruto H. Uzumaki got up, he dressed in his usual clothes, brushed his teeth and ate his breakfast. Afterwards he went out the door to continue to train with his family, but along the way, he sees Kiba with a present in his hand and asked him, "Hey, Kiba. Where are you off to in such a hurry?' he asked.

"Oh, nowhere in particular., just the academy. I'm just getting your birth… I mean, your supplies ready. See ya!" said Kiba, and he ran off to the distance.

"What the heck was that? Weird." Thought Naruto. He than ran off to see Shikamaru, but he wasn't at home either. "Hmm, maybe he must have gone out to the store. I'll just wait here so that we can continue Shogi." Thought Naruto. But no matter how long he waited, Shikamaru didn't return. So he left the Nara residence for the day and headed over to the other houses, but no one was there. As he checked at Iruka's house along with kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, but neither one of them were home. So Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha and headed over to the Hokage's tower where the Anbu guards were decorating the tower that said "Happy 10th Birthday, Naruto Hatake Uzumaki!" As Naruto saw it, he was most surprised. "I think that my family is in the tower awaiting my arrival so that they can give me my presents and the cake." Thought Naruto.

As Naruto took a quick peek inside, he was shocked at what he had seen as balloons and other decorations were put up. He never noticed it but, he was pretty surprised at what he saw and was happy and crying tears of joy at the same time. As he had opened the door, his family yelled, "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Naruto!"

"You…. You did all this for me!? I can't believe it! Yatta, this is one of the best birthdays that I ever had. Thank you all so much! I really love it. I would also like to extend my thanks to my grandfather, sandaime ji-chan, for organizing this party for me. And best of all, thanks to my adoptive mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and cousins, you've made me very happy, I love you all!" said Naruto as he wiped the tears from his eyes with a hankerchief. He also gave his family a great big hug for their hard work as well.

"You are welcome, Naruto. It's time to eat your cake now and we'll all have a piece together. Plus, you've also have gotten a lot of presents from us because they were made especially for you. As we said at the beginning, you are special to all of us and we love you because you always see us as your loving mother and father who will take very good care of you as long as you are here. But even if Jiraiya leaves for a six month trip on a mission, you will be looked after by all of us, especially Sarutobi and of course, Tsunade. You'll even have our sons and daughters to look after you and you'll be going on tons of missions with all of us, understand, Naruto?" they said.

"Yes of course, tou-sans, oka-sans, of course. As I have said before, I will make all of you proud of me and I won't fail you. I promise that on my life, that's my way of the shinobi!" said Naruto as he made a thumb up to his family. He would do anything to keep his home safe from intruders. Now with the full support of his family, they will come together as one and become the strongest of them all in Konoha.

After Naruto ate his small piece of cake, he asked Kiba about what he given him, but Kiba didn't want to spoil the surprise so he had asked Naruto to take a look for himself. The other friends had asked him to do the same thing. So he stated with the first box that Kiba had given him, it was a book about steps to learn tunneling fang and other wolf drilling techniques. He seemed to have taken a great interest in it and thanked Kiba for the present.

The next present that he went through was a medium-sized package given to him by Hinata. As he opened it, he discovered that it was a medicine book, a guide on how to heal wounded ninjas. He immediately hugged Hinata and thanked her for the present, but she immediately fainted. The others laughed with embarrassment as Naruto held onto her before she falls to the floor and hits her head.

Shikamaru's present, of course was Naruto's favorite, it was puzzles and the chess set which he and many of his friends can enjoy playing together. He thanked the lazy dude and moved on to the others. Shino gave him the ant farm, Ino gave him a book about flowers, Sakura gave him a manual on how to make your body strong, Kakashi had given him a kunai set, choji gave him a year's supply coupon on free food, and Neji gave him a manual on hand to hand combat techniques.

As he opened the presents one by one, Naruto decided now to invite them all to see a movie which was playing at the Konoha theatre. This was Naruto's favorite hobby as well as his second big birthday present. Kurenai had promised a movie for Naruto if he did well on genjutsu and which, he did. At this point, Naruto was happy that he had earned it, not because he was a special person, but a person to be well rewarded for his hard work, courage, and trustworthiness.

"Kurenai-sensei, thank you so much for taking me and my friends to the movie, I really appreciate it. You are the best aunt, keep that in mind." Said Naruto with a glee.

"Aw, thanks, Naruto, you are my favorite too! And I'll always be there for you, especially Asuma." Said Kurenai as she gave Naruto a hug and a kiss, something that Naruto never had gotten for such a long time now. He feels a lot safer now that the clans of Konoha are protecting him and guarding him at all times to make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous. As Naruto continued his celebration of his birthday, he wasn't as nervous as much anymore. Things had been going well for Naruto now that he was ten years old. He needs to know about responsibility, reliability, and many other things. As he continues to walk down the path to success, he'll find that not everything around here will be easy, but as long as he has received help, he'll be fine.

On his birthday, the sandaime would sometimes take him shopping at the konoha mall for some clothes, some shinobi tools, new scrolls, and many other things. Naruto would often as his grandfather how much the pay was, but the sandaime said that he had it all covered as the pay would be around 600 to 700. After Naruto finished shopping with his grandfather, Iruka took Naruto to a most famous restaurant in Konoha, the Shuhuya, becaue here Kureanai had asked Iruka to give him vegetable to eat. But no matter how much Naruto hated vegetables, he had to eat it. As he ate the vegetable, he was thinking about growing up to be big and strong just like his friends. Afterwards, he went to many other places around Konoha with Kakashi, Asuma, and his new mother and father figures.

By nightfall, Naruto had felt tired after a long day and with his birthday completed; he was ready for a well deserved nap. He went over to Iruka's house to settle in for the night. There, he would be able to study upon the scrolls that the sandaime had given him. The scrolls contained more advanced techniques, including the Anbu's time reversal technique. "This will be perfect for me to use on orochimaru's bodyguards, and they will never know what had hit them." Thought Naruto evilly. Iruka would sometimes call Naruto to study more new techniques on books or sometime take him to the dojo for a sparring match with his friends before he goes to bed.

As far as his training goes, his family said that he was doing extremely well for a beginner now and that he was ready for more difficult steps to mastering his family's jutsus. His taijutsu, ninjutsu, a and genjutsu skills have gotten better and better because he was able to manipulate chakra with mother nature due to all his practice out on the training field and at the Konoha waterfall. Even kakashi was most impressed at how well Hatake Naruto had progressed because he feels that he had made himself a fine shinobi. They won't have much to worry about him anymore now that he had adjusted life so well in Konoha.

Everything that Iruka had taught naruto, he had already known about or had some time practicing with. When he had some free time, he would often go to Tenten's target practice dojo where he would throw shurikens, kunai knives, and other weapons at dummies. Sometime he competes with friends, other times he plays with his family. Sometimes, when his family and friends were out on missions, he and his grandfather would play cards, observing the Hokage monument, having ramen together.

Even though this was the first time that Naruto celebrated his birthday, he will always remember it as a special day for him and will keep it forever in his heart He had kept all of his birthday presents in his room in a special large box in Iruka's house for safe keeping. And from there, he had marked it as Naruto's birthday present: special."

"Please keep my presents safe here in the box, Iruka-sensei, guard it well." Said naruto.

"I will, and thanks Naruto. You should get some sleep now." said Iruka.

Soon Naruto fell fast asleep on the couch at Iruka's place. He had felt that this day had become special to him and he will dedicate it all to his former father, the yondaime Hokage for making it the best birthday for Naruto. "Thanks, tou-san, you've made my birthday very special and I'm very happy to have celebrated it. This is the one that I will never forget." thought Naruto as he slept.

Even as his tenth birthday comes to a close, it was a memorable one that he will keep forever in his heart. And he'll have the people of Konoha to thank for organizing the party and taking him places that he and his friends loves the most." My friends are simply just the best, ever since I have been adopted into their clan, I think I have adjusted well to their life and their daily activities." thought Naruto,

By the next morning, Naruto had got up at his usual time after his birthday celebration last night. Now that he was 10 years old, he was ready to begin his one-on-one training with his family. Throughout the morning Naruto went out to the shopping center to buy some equipment before his training sessions begins. It was unusual for Naruto to go out shopping this early in the morning when all the other shinobis were out on missions, tending to household chores, or just doing guard duty around Konoha. But today was a bit different because there weren't much civilians on the street because he didn't want to have that deja vu feeling again of being harrassed by the villagers because he would only continue to have nightmares again so he ignored the the villagers without saying anything.

As Naruto walked down the street in Konoha, he decides to head over to Tenten's weapons shop to browse around looking for swords, shurikens, and some explosive kunai knives because he needs to organize his weapons and make sure they are in perfect working condition. As he entered the shop, he was greeted by Tenten's father and said, 'Welcome, Naruto-kun! What can I do for you today?"

"Hello there sir." bowed Naruto politely. "I would like to browse at the swords and also I would need shurikens and explosive kuniai knives because I will begin my training with the families of Konoha. But I can't decide on what sword I would need so this is where I require assistance, please." replied Naruto.

"Of course, Naruto-kun, they are in the section marked 'Swords" aisle. Tenten will help you out, okay?" replied the man with a smile.

"Arigato, sir." replied Naruto, and off he went to the swords section. As he arrived, he was amazed to find all different types of swords based ont heir size from small to long sized, and some were huge, and the last few had representations of animals on them, which to Naruto's surprise, were very fascinating. He always wanted a sword with the animal type engraved on the bottom. Also, he came across a kusanagi sword, which had edges trimmed. Naruto figured that this was the type of sword that deals greater amounts of damage to any opponent, but Naruto decided not to buy that one because it would be forbidden to use in konoha.

"Tenten, I found the sword that I need, the sword of the moon. I always wanted to try this one and learn the Dance of the cresent moon attack. I would like to buy that one." replied Naruto.

"Oh, that one up there? Okay, one sec. I'll get that for you." Said Tenten. She then climbed up the shelf and grabbed the sword and hands it to Naruto. "Be careful though, as this can consume a lot of your chakra when used, so use this weapon wisely, okay?" she said to him.

"Of course, Tenten. Thanks so much for your help." said Naruto with a smile.

"You're welcome, Naruto. Is there anything else you need today?" asked Tenten.

"Oh, no, thanks. I'm just here to buy some kunai knives and shurikens because I need them to keep my weapons fully upgraded so that way I won't keep losing them. Normally, my shurikens would hit the targets at point blank, but today the blades on these kept bending and also the tips of the kunai knives keep breaking and I don't know why this happens." replied Naruto.

"I see, why don't you leave those damaged weapons here, and I'll fix them up for you. My dad always fixes damaged weapons all the time, so it won't take too long." said Tenten.

"Thanks so much Tenten. You are really helpful today. I really appreciate it, but now I got to go, I need to see the Hokage about my next assignment." said Naruto. He then waved bye-bye to tenten as he exits the shop. As he walked down the street to the Hokage's tower, his friends waved at him and he waved back with a "Good morning, or "How are you". Some of them would ask him how his birthday was and he would reply that it was the best one that he ever had. As he entered the Tower, he spots the Anbu guards and said, "Good morning Anbu-san. I assume Hokage-sama has required me to meet him here right?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, right this way please." said one of the guards as he escorted naruto into the tower. As he arrived at the Hokage's office, he knocked on the dooor and the Hokage said to him "Enter." As Naruto entered the office, he could see his family figures already there waiting for him and the civilian members of the council there as usual. As the Hokage sees Naruto, he smiled at him and said, "Good morning Naruto, I trust your birthday celebration was a successful one, right?"

"Good morning ji-san. My birthday was a successful one, and all the presents that I received from my family were really great too, I wanted to thank you for organizing the party, ji-san. And also I wanted to thank the families of Konoha for the lovely presents. You've all made me feel as someone special that belongs in Konoha, I couldn't have done it with you." said Naruto with a smile. The clansmen of Konoha looked at Naruto for a moment and smiled at him. "That kid sure is a funny one, all right. He's such a loving child and he's so polite to people. I think we have offically accepted him into our life." They thought.

"Okay, now that the party is over. Naruto, its time now for you to begin your one-on-one training session with your new family members because you need to learn the art of your family's techniques. Those scrolls that you had gotten on your birthday were beginner scrolls that gives you some basic instructions on how the techniques should be performed because we wanted you to practice them on your own. They were presents from me to you." replied the Hokage.

"You've actually gave me those scrolls on my birthday? That's really thoughful of you, ji-chan, thanks a lot! I will treasure them with all my heart!" said Naruto with an excited look.

"You're welcome, Naruto." replied the Sandaime.

However, the civilians were not as happy when Naruto called Hokage "ji-san" they still feel that it was complete disrespect to the Hokage. They also still feel that the boy could still be a huge threat to Konoha and that he should be executed immediately due to his actions. Naruto himself tried to ignore the civilians remarks of the "Demon" comment but growled in frustration which impressed his family members.

"Oji-san, how am I ever going to earn the respect of this village if these civilians keep harrassing or disrespecting me like this? For several years I've put up with this campaign of harrassment, when is this going to stop? They are never going to stop hating me no matter what I do." said Naruto.

The Hokage could only concede at Naruto's statement and said, "I'm afraid you are right, Naruto. To tell you the truth, I've tried everything in my power to stop them from harrassing you, but there's nothing more I can do. I've staved off enough headaches listening to that kind of crap from the villagers."

"Demon! How dare you address the Hokage that way?! You will show proper respect to the man, or you're looking at a slow and painful execution from us!" said a civilian.

"You know, if I were you, I would hold your tongue. No matter how troublesome you civilians may be, I consider the boy as a son, in fact, almost the whole village accepts him." replied Shikaku as he steps forward while facing the civilian man to man. "I will not tolerate your abuse towards an innocent child like him and all the suffering you gave him is inexcusable. Naruto sees us as a family and you will not treat him like he's some monster, do I make make myself clear, you damn cowards?"

"The nara clan heir is right. Almost the entire Hyuga clan accepts Naruto as well and I for one, do not allow the boy to take such abuse from villagers and I also don't allow this boy to be harmed. I also consider the kid as family and will ensure safety and protection for him." said Hiashi.

Soon, the other clans of Konoha said the same thing, they all considered Naruto as a loving son. Even Asuma and Konohamaru sees him as both a brother and nephew because when Naruto was younger, after the Yondaime died, he was being looked after by Asuma and his father, the sandaime Hokage because they all cared deeply for the boy even though he was shunned a lot. Naruto couldn't take much more abuse from the civilians, but it still had brought fresh scars to him after his ordeal.

"Okay, I think we are getting off topic. Thank you all for your vote of confidence on protecting Naruto. What you all said was true, and I'm glad that he now has a big family. But now, its time for Naruto to start his training session. This meeting is adjourned, thank you all for coming. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some work of my own to fnish. Good day everyone." said the Hokage. With that all the clans, including Naruto, had left the office follwing the civilian members of the council, who ignored Naruto completely. Some of them even sneered at him and made cat like noises as if they were trying to kill him. Naruto chose not to take notice from the villagers and continued onwards with his family to begin training.

**And that would end this chapter, I had to post it soon before I leave china. My grandfather's funeral may be over for now, but I'll have more ideas for you next Friday and the next chapter will feature Naruto training at Neji's place and him exercising with Lee It will be entitled "Exercising with the flames of youth." In this one I didn't need to waste more than nine pages telling about all the presents Naruto had gotten, just saying that they are special to him. I will be taking a break from this and chapter 9 will be released on Saturday of next week. So read and review as always and I'll see you all next time. In the meantime chapter 8 will be revised to "Training begins"**

**Combatally12 **

Return to


	8. Chapter 8: Training Begins

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Note: As always, I don't own Naruto or the disclaimers.

Hello Naruto fans! Sorry I took too long. I was at the Chinese Embassy in New York helping my father prep for our trip to China to attend my grandfather's funeral. The next one won't be released after I return on the 10th of September. Anyway here is a brief summary of what happened. Naruto's house was completely demolished after he left the academy and now he is now forced to live with his family until he can find a new place to live. In the end, it was successful. Now he is given some training from his family to learn the art of their techniques.

Chapter 8: Training Begins

Previously on Naruto…

"Sandaime ji-ji I can't believe I am hearing all this crap from the villagers. How am I ever going to gain any respect from Konoha if they keep treating me like trash? I have put up with this campaign of harassment for several years, now when is this going to stop? No matter what I do, they will never stop hating me and even half the village doesn't even give a damn about me." Said Naruto sadly.

The Hokage can only concede at Naruto's statement and said, "I'm afraid that you are right, Naruto. And to tell you the truth, I've tried everything in my power to stop them from harassing you, but believe me, there is nothing more I can do because I have staved off enough headaches listening to all that crap coming from the villagers."

"You damn demon! How dare you address the Hokage that way!? You will show proper respect to the old man and the council or else you are looking at a slow and a painful execution from us!" said a civilian.

"You know, I'd watch your tongue if I were you. You civilians are so troublesome for accusing the boy of not properly addressing the Hokage. After all, the man's like a grandfather to him and I also consider the boy as a loving son, in fact, almost the whole village accepts him, including his friends." Replied Shikaku as he stepped forward facing the civilian man to man with a scary look on his face. "I for one, will not tolerate your abuse towards an innocent child like Naruto who is trying to become Hokage one day and what you all did to him was inexcusable. Naruto however, does see us as family and you will not treat him as if he was some monster anymore, is that clear, you damn cowards?"

"The Nara clan heir is absolutely right. Almost the entire Hyuga clan accepts Naruto as well and I will protect this boy with my life and would not allow him to take such abuse from the villagers nor letting him be harmed physically or mentally. I also consider the kid as family because I vow to protect the boy with my life, and if he wants to live his life as a free man, let him do that." Said Hiashi while placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

At that moment, all the other clans of Konoha repeated the same thing because they had turned Naruto's life into an incredible recovery after his ordeal. They also considered him as a loving person and a sweet kid that cares for his home and his friends. Even Sarutobi Asuma and his nephew, Konohamaru, sees Naruto as family as well because when the blonde was younger, his former father left a letter to the clans of Konoha requesting them to look after him and take good care of him. In that letter, he also stated that Naruto should be considered as a hero and not as the demon and to allow the village to accept him as a normal person. Throughout his time spent here, the only few people that did look up to him was the Hokage and Iruka. Naruto however, did make some friends with Shikamaru, choji, and Kiba in his younger years, but when he met Sasuke, it became a little difficult for him, but eventually they did become great friends, rivals and brothers. Nonetheless, even the clans of Konoha cared deeply for Naruto even though he was shunned due to the kyubii inside of him. Despite that he had suffered so much abuse and hate; it still continues to haunt him and he was left emotionally and physically scarred.

"Okay, I think we are getting off topic here. I thank you all for your confidence in Naruto's protection. What you all said was true, and I am happy now that he can count on you guys for your support. But now, I think that its about time for Naruto to begin his training, don't you think? The meeting is adjourned, you are all dismissed, thank you for coming. Now if you'll all excuse me, I got some work of my own to finish here. Good day everyone." Replied the Hokage.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The clans replied as all of them, including Naruto had left the office with the civilians following them close behind while ignoring the blonde completely. Some of them even sneered at him and make screeching noises like a cat does as if they were trying to kill him. Naruto chose not to pay attention to them and continued walking with his family to the training field.

0o0o0o0o

It's now been two weeks since Naruto's tenth birthday and he was already excited now about getting his training started with his family. During this time, he was given an opportunity to practice chakra control using the scrolls that were given to him by the sandaime Hokage at home and study up on chakra control and how to use it wisely based on what Iruka had taught him in the academy about the basics of chakra usage.

Flashback

_"Naruto, can you tell me what chakra is?" asked Iruka. He wanted Naruto to describe the term in full detail for the rest of the class. So, he decided to head up to the front of the class and then begins his explanation. "Okay guys, since you all know that you have the physical energy inside of your bodies that generates within the cells of the living organisms. As you combine the physical energy using force and mental fortitude, you will be able to harness it with a variety of uses like producing superhuman stamina and then also used in the formation of chakra." Said naruto._

"_Well said, Naruto-kun. And with all the chakra inside of your body, it would move about in side of your body and release the chakra points so that you can all utilize a network of passages and by various means, the most common use of chakra is performing hand seals and depending upon how chakra will be manipulated so that you can create effects that most normal people can't possibly do like walking on water." replied Iruka while he draws some illustrations on the board to explain more about chakra in depth._

_"Since there are six kinds of nature manipulation, and only five of them are already well known except for the sixth one. The five elements are earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and lightning. This is also known as the five elements. But, there are weaknesses for each of the elemtns like for example, lightning is effective against earth, but it can be countered by wind. And since Kakashi has wind element techniques, he would be teaching Naruto how to master elemental chakra later on, right, little buddy?" asked Iruka._

_"Mastering elemental chakra? That's not going to be easy, but I'll give it a try though." said Naruto who smiled back at his teacher._

_"That's right Naruto, but you will know more on what that will be later on when you train with master Kakashi later on." siad Iruka. But now that we are on the subject of chakra, using hand seals is the most common ways to manipulate chakra in our hands and then perform a jutsu with ease. For example, If I want to do the sealed bomb square release, the hand seals would be Monkey, horse, dog, and sheep because I am most skilled at using bombs to blow the target away if it moves. This technique isn't a defensive technique, but rather an offensive technique and can injure the opponent easily." said Iruka._

_"Iruka-Sensei, depending upon the hand seals, that most shinobis use, there are twelve basic seals used, right? When they are put into specific sequences, they are used to perform various jutsus? Also, I do believe those hand seals are derived from the combination of the twelve anima symbols that are from the Chinese Zodiac, correct?" asked Naruto._

_"Very good, Naruto. It seems you have mastered the concept of chakra well. I'm just so impressed at your knowledge of the term so well." said Iruka. "He has gained an extensive knowledge of different types of chakra basics and the techniques that can be performed." he thought to himself while reflecting back to his days when his mother and father had taught him. However, he hasn't spent much time studying upon the basics of chakra and like Naruto, he was a bit lazy at times and pulled pranks around the village, but still he was a good academy teacher and can sometimes underestimate Naruto's abilities, but he tried not to let that interfere with his personal life. In his years when he was younger, Iruka had no one to look after him and he was looked down by a lot of people and was laughed at a lot. He knew exactly how Naruto felt and feels that he would endanger his safety, but he told himself that he would always be there for the kid and vows to protect him as any father would do for their son._

End Flashback

Naruto now remembered the day back in the academy when he was being taught about what chakra was and how it was being manipulated. Now it was time for naruto to put his knowledge to the test. He reached right into his backpack and took out a few basic jutsu scrolls and studied it carefully to make sure he understood the hand signs that are required for the technique to work. As he heads to the training field, he decided now to create some clones of himself and start some target practicing with the kunai knives by applying chakra to the knives to make sure they land a direct hit. He also would make sure the knife would go deeper into the bark of the tree so that his shot would be accurate. Once it was successful, several dummies started rising up in the training field ready to fight. Again, naruto used shurikens to blast holes through them, knocking them all back down which proved to be successful, but the knife that pierced the tree didn't go smoothly as he has wanted it to be, so he decided to take out the trench knives that were given to him by Asuma, and by channeling chakra into the knives, he launches a direct attack on the tree by hurling it straight at the bark of the tree, in turn, the knife attaches itself deeply into the tree without making any other movements. As Naruto looked at the damage done to the tree, he was pretty satisfied with his timing and precision of that shot he made, and as he took the weapon out of the tree, he made sure to scrape off the pieces of wood fragments and sand markings from the blade to keep them clean.

Next, Naruto decided to work on some basic taijutsu because this was the area where he had some weakness due to his inability to land punches or kicks due to his timing being off or the hits not being precise. But naruto decided not to let that interfere with his training because he had to maintain focus on his close combat attacks. As he practiced his punches and kicks on the wooden dummies, he noticed that the blows didn't really do much damage to the targets so now; the most direct approach for him was gathering chakra in his hands so that he can land massive kicks and punches in order to permanently knock them out. He then summons out a bunch of clones and directs them to attack the other wooden dummies. Afterwards, he dispelled his clones for a job well done and he then takes a break by lying down on the grass at the traning area.

A few minutes later, Naruto sees the families of Konoha arriving at the site where he was training. They were most impressed at how well he was able to manage his attacks with the practice dummies. However, they still feel that the blonde could stand a little more improvement with the timing of his attacks and also some more work on chakra control would increase his chances of perfecting his techniques. But other than that, naruto was getting one step closer to becoming a true shinobi of Konoha, so they decided to offer to train him in the art of their techniques.

"Ah, so this is where you were Naruto. We were looking all over for you, but now that we found you here, its now time for us to start training you on the art of our techniques because we are the only ones that can make you stronger, and its time for you to start getting stronger and you mentioned to us that you wanted to be Hokage one day right? Well, in order for you to achieve that dream, we'll teach you the basics of chakra control and the basics of our jutsus." Replied Tsume.

"Really? You are going to officially start my training regiment?" asked Naruto who was most surprised.

"Tch, troublesome kid, what do you think we're here for, just to entertain you? Hehehe! Your training is much more important than anything else here, and you'll have to take it seriously, otherwise you won't be able to get stronger than where you are right now. The training process will take a long time, months even, but don't worry you'll have lots of fun during your time with us." Replied Shikaku.

Naruto was not sure what he meant by having fun, but he decided to go with the flow. He was sure that he would be tamed by the most fun and loving but strong and powerful shinobis of Konoha. Their sons and daughters also have the same techniques as their parents do but will learn more advanced ones later on after the chunin exams are over. The reasons for this was because naruto is still a rookie and that he wasn't ready for the most advanced techniques just yet, but his family figures reassured him that he had nothing to worry about and that he will do just fine.

"Okay, your training regiment will be like this: first and foremost, before we get into teaching you our techniques, you need to exercise a lot to gain strength and also, in order for you to face tougher opponents later on, we recommend that you do some practice sparring matches. Furthermore, exercising with Lee and Gai is a definite because you need to have the stamina and physical strength because that is the most important part of training. However, if you don't have the strength or stamina you would only become weaker, and we don't to see that happening now, do we?" said Inoichi.

"No definitely not, but now that you mentioned it I haven't been exercising as much as I used to do. I really should start getting in shape with exercising and all. But are you sure that I should do that and how is it going to help my training?" asked Naruto.

"Well, we shinobis need exercise to stay strong and physically fit in order to build up our strength that we need in our bodies, otherwise, how are we going to have the power to stop evil? Tell me, isn't it your duty to protect the village of Konoha with your life? If so, then you are considered to be one of the most trusted, respected and the most talented young shinobi of Konoha and the reason why we selected you to be our leading citizen is because the Hokage knows that you are the only person to protect and serve under our guidance, remember that, okay?" replied Shibi.

Naruto took some time to think that over and took to his advice by training to be the best that he can be without having too much difficulty, and he already knows that there is a tough road ahead of him the he must follow, not to mention dangerous bridges to cross. But the important thing was this: the clans of Konoha are making sure Naruto doesn't try anything rash or hasty because at times, he can get carried away with his tricks, but he tried not to let that get the best of him.

"Okay, one last thing before we start, the key here to your training is success. And we want you to succeed because if you put your heart and soul into it, you will become a fine man and a great Hokage one day. But in order for you to achieve that goal, you need to have discipline, my friend. A shinobi who doesn't get full discipline will be considered trash. So keep that in mind as you go along. We want to see you with that will of fire burning in your eyes. Now we don't just say this to anyone, but our sons and daughters also needs discipline like you and they need to train extra hard in order to be strong like you, so bear that in mind. Also, concentration is extremely important for you, Naruto because with your mind focused on one technique only, you can be able to unleash it on any opponent without fail. You should try that sometime instead of relying on clones to do the jutsus because you won't be able to get anywhere with the use of the clones." Replied Choza.

"So, without the use of the clones, I can be able to do a jutsu perfectly even without the clone? But what about the rasengan? I would definitely need a clone to do that but without it, I don't think I will be able to…." Began Naruto.

"Perhaps I can help you with that, Naruto. I myself was taught the Rasengan by the Yondaime back when I was younger. After all I can also perform the clone technique like you do but my speed isn't really that fast, but I can easily perform the rasengan even without the use of a clone, but I can teach you the trick behind it. This is between you and me, so we cannot let Jiraiya-sama in on the secret, because if anyone knows the pervert like the toad sannin, it's us. He always has a few tricks or so up his sleeve. Besides, we don't want to see you turned into a pervert, okay?" said Kakashi.

Naruto was most surprised that Kakashi can perform the rasengan, but he was most amused that the copy-nin had more than just one technique up his sleeve. Furthermore, Naruto was dying to learn the Rasengan, a technique that theYondaime had once completed when he was battling the Kyubii 12 years ago. Despite this, it may take a while for Naruto to complete the Rasengan because the technique was so advanced that it was impossible for any shinobi to complete. Anyhow, Kakashi knows that if anyone can complete such an advanced technique, it was Naruto.

Given time for him to think things over, his family continued telling him about the training regiment and the schedule. "Okay, Naruto, you will start training with Gai and Lee in the afternoon on physical strength, shadow techniques with Shikaku tomorrow morning, fang over fang with Kiba and me on the weekend, and close combat with the Hyugas on weekdays. Sundays you will have the days off because we are going outside of Konoha for patrol duties as orders from the Hokage, so we'll have someone in the village to keep a careful eye on you and the village itself. Iruka will also look after you while we are gone. During that time, you may use the scrolls to practice whatever you need to keep yourself busy and strong. Plus, you will have your friends to keep an eye on you as well while you practice. This is just the start of what your schedule will be like, but we will plan other activities for you soon." Replied Tsume as she handed him the piece of paper.

"Wow, that's a lot of things to do on the training schedule, oka-san. But the time management o here seems to be well organized. I think we can stick to this schedule with the time we have together in the village, but when do I start the actual training though?" asked Naruto.

"Your actual training won't begin until tomorrow afternoon. It is getting late though and you need some rest, we don't want to overwork you today because you need to save your strength and stamina for tomorrow afternoon, so you better be prepared because this will be your toughest assignment yet, but don't worry, we'll go over all the basics of our techniques with you in our next meeting tomorrow afternoon. Until then, you are dismissed, Naruto." Replied Hiashi.

Naruto than thanked his family for the training introduction and heads off toward the direction to his home, but before he could get there, he sees the toad sannin standing at the Konoha park area and waved at him. "Hey Ero ji-ji, what brings you here?"

"Well, I overheard your conversation with the clans of Konoha and I heard they are offering to train you, but I was wondering that if I can find some time I can also offer to help you with your training if you want because I have all the free time in the world, what do you say?" asked Jiraiya.

"Well, I'll have to ask oka-san about that and I'll let you know tomorrow morning, I really need to meet with my friends before I hit the sack for the night. I'll take your offer for consideration, thank you, ero-sennin." Said naruto.

"You are never going to stop calling me that, are you? Heh! You sure have grown into a fine young man, and being a gutsy shinobi that you are, you will always be in a rush to get things done." Thought Jiraiya as he smiled at Naruto running off to the distance. He then takes out his telescope and then went off to the hot springs to do his research, but he was too easily detected by women along the way, so he had to find another way around them. Nearby, Kakashi was listening with amusement while reading his smut. He could also hear Jiraiya giggling as he peeps in the women's baths so that he can get another chapter ready for make out paradise, but suddenly, Naruto snuck up behind him disguising himself as a women and armed a kunai knife at Jiraiya's neck and said, "Jiraiya-sama, what the hell do you think are doing here? You know you will be punished for peeping at women so I suggest you leave here immediately."

"Aw, but I was just having some fun, can't I stay here and continue my research for a bit longer?" protested Jiraiya.

"JIRAIYA-SAMA! Didn't I make it clear to you that if you don't leave, I will transform into Kuromaru and maul your ass to the ground. I will not tolerate such a disgusting habit here in Konoha, not on my watch." Growled Tsume in a low voice. Mercifully, Jiraiya walked out of the hot springs and Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke while hiding behind a wall without being seen, he then watched with a glee as the toad sannin wanders off into the distance. Then, he started falling onto the ground and laughed like crazy and said, "Hahaha! What a lousy old pervert, I knew he would fall for a trick like that! I'm just too good with my jokes." He then emerges from the hot springs and walks off to Ichiraku's to get something to eat. As he arrived, he spots Iruka waiting outside of the Ramen shop and greeted him. Iruka waved back at Naruto and said to him, "Hey there, Naruto, how was your day spent with the families?"

"Hey, what's up Iruke-sensei? And my day with the families of Konoha went smoothly with no problems. With my training regiment all set up and ready, they told me that I am all set to begin tomorrow afternoon to stay physically strong." Said Naruto.

"Wow, that's wonderful, Naruto, and good luck on your training, I'm sure you will produce great results afterwards, but more importantly, if you have any questions about a particular type of technique you can always come to me or Kakashi for help, we'll do our best to assist you anyway possible during your training, and best of all, do your best to make us all proud." Replied Iruka.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei, and thanks for the words of advice. I am going to be Hokage one day, right? I promise you, I will make this village proud of me." Replied Naruto.

Iruka can only smile at the blonde's eagerness to succeed because he now feels that Naruto will be just fine with the training regiment he was given. Even though this was the first time that Naruto was given a chance to train at his best to measure his accuracy, speed, and chakra control, his family will not allow Naruto's hidden power to be revealed to anyone or else there would be dire consequences that could put the whole village in jeopardy, but should the fox emerge from the host, Kurenai and the Hokage will have to perform a sealing technique on Naruto to prevent the fox from coming out. This was the one thing that can get everyone nervous when the container of the Kyubii was around other people, but to his friends, they don't consider him dangerous because fox or no fox, they still considered Naruto their best friend and as family.

As far as Naruto's training regiment goes, he may encounter some difficulty with the techniques being demonstrated to him by his instructors but they reminded him that together, they will take it one step at a time in order for a successful completion of a jutsu and that there was no rush to it. There were also several tricks behind certain types of attacks depending upon the hand seals performed. Second, in order for an attack to be successful, he has to make sure the target doesn't move in various directions.

Later that night, as Naruto lied down in bed, he starts thinking about what the families had said to him earlier about his training regiment, it gave him an idea about how he would face opponents when they go head to head in real combat, including the akatsuki and orochimaru later on. "Hmm, my family told me to train hard and taught me the concept of concentration, and that was the only thing that will make me stronger, huh? Well, if they want me to work hard, I'll show them just how good I really am!" he thought to himself as he slept.

The next morning, Naruto woke up at his usual time and gathering up all necessary equipment to prepare for his training. As he finished getting all his gear, weapons, and scrolls ready, he went outside and closed the door behind him. He then heads over to the training grounds while setting up his equipment and waited for his instructors to show up. While he waited, he decided to continue his kunai knife training, and no sooner than that, his instructors have all arrived except for Kakashi. Asuma and Kurenai have gone shopping and won't be here for another two hours so he had time.

"Good morning, everyone, I am all rested up and ready to start training, now when do we begin? I am all fired up and eager to lean new stuff!" said Naruto with an excited look in his eye as he faced the instructors who had arrived.

"You just got up, and do you have to be so annoying this early in the morning? Jeez, you really need to cool your jets, you troublesome noise maker. Let me sleep a little big longer, and besides its only 8 in the morning, not everyone is here yet, now why don't' you practice some fighting moves while I catch forty winks, okay? Thank you so much." Replied the sleepy Nara clan heir.

"Man, is sawing logs all he can do? Man, why did I get paired up with Shikamaru and his family? I mean all they ever do is sleep, weird." Naruto thought to himself, but took the advice from the man immediately as he practiced some hand to hand combat again but this time, he decided to take his taijutsu skills to the next level and by creating mass shadow clones, he ordered them to practice sparring with themselves while he works on his hand to hand combat on the practice dummies for a couple of hours. While he practiced, Tsume and her dog, Kuromaru arrives and sees Nara Shikaku still asleep. Sighing, she shook his jounin vest and said, "Come on, lazybones, stop sleeping already, its already 9:45 in the morning and you are still not awake? Get up already!" she said to him. Even Kuromaru, placed his paws onto the man and tried to wake him up as well. At last, the man opens his eyes and sees Kiba's mother and her canine companion on the scene, he couldn't remember what had happened but one thing was certain: he had overslept.

Thinking quickly, he got up from his nap and washed his face at a nearby lake and then went over to where Naruto was and said to him, "Well, my boy, now that you are fully warmed up, are you ready to begin?" he asked him.

"Of course, tou-san, but before we begin, where is Hyuga-sama and Aburame-sama, and Kakashi tou-san? I can't start my training without them, right? Do you know where they are?" asked Naruto.

"I'm pretty sure that they are on their way now, and speaking of which looks like Hiashi and Shibi are already here, and Inoichi too. They seemed to be on time today." Replied Shikaku.

"You really want us to put you on the fast track of being a successful shinobi? Well, don't get your hopes up because as we told you earlier, this will not be easy, but if you take your time with it, you will be among the strongest in Konoha because we feel you are the right person to handle this kind of work and that's why we have chosen you to keep our village safe. So in other words, we wish you luck on your training, Naruto-san." Replied Tsume as she rubbed her hands on Naruto's face while showing her true smile towards him.

"She's sort of scary, but she's really sweet and cares a lot about me. But even though I am a little bit nervous, I think I can handle this." Thought naruto. Then a few minutes later, a man in a green jump suit with a soup bowl haircut arrived moments after hearing about Naruto being trained to be the best. "Did I hear someone say that a prestigious child like Naruto is going to have the best teachers in Konoha to make him a shinobi? Now's that's what I like the most! I, Might-Guy will also assist Naruto in his training because I can feel the flames of youth burning bright for that young pupil just like Lee!" he said while cracking a smile.

"Good grief, does this place have to be so noisy with people shouting every time? Well, looks like everyone is here except for our two lovebirds, Asuma and Kurenai-san. Now, where could those two have gone to in such a hurry?" said Kakashi as he appeared in a puff of smoke. As naruto sees the silver-haired jounin's arrival, he started shouting, "Hey! What took you so long to get here? I had been waiting for you forever so that I can begin my training. Now, you got some explaining to do."

"Well you see, Naruto-san, a cat had blocked my path so I had to find another way around and so that's why I arrived late today. Sorry about that." Replied Kakashi with a nervous look as he stared at Naruto.

"You liar! That's not a legal excuse, but anyway now that you are here we can begin." Replied Naruto. Kakashi sighed, but was relieved that Naruto didn't go too stir crazy on the man, but still, the boy cared a lot for Kakashi whom became a brother figure to him. After all, the man had his own reasons for wanting to help Naruto and this had reminded him of his own teammates back when he was trained under the Yondaime. He was still thinking about Obito and how he can be a hothead sometimes, and Naruto had the same traits just like Kakashi's teammate.

"Well, now that I am here, Naruto. Are you still willing to go through with this training session?" asked Kakashi.

"You bet I am! I am ready to show the world just how powerful I will become and I will not allow the dream of being Hokage being taken away from me. And I will do whatever it takes to protect my family and friends, no matter who I train with, I will get strong." Replied Naruto.

Surprised looks and smiles appeared on his family figure's faces. They figured if anyone can keep the village save and have the courage and strength to face new challenges, it was the son of the Yondaime. Even Kakashi was amused that Naruto was taking this thing seriously and he wanted to use his power for the good of the village and protecting the ones that means a lot to him, including the Sandaime. Even though not everyone in the village has full confidence in the kid, but his friends believes in him a lot even though they felt sorry that he had to go through all that pain and misery, but nonetheless, quality doesn't always mean quantity, but with lots of practice, the boy may have what it takes to be a shinobi.

The Akimichi spoke up, "Well, I'm glad to see you are ready to give it your all, okay then, now that you know our training regiments and what the requirements are, we can begin, but before we go into our techniques, you need to work on your physical fitness by doing various exercises like swimming, walking on water, jogging, and others. You need physical strength if you want to be strong."

Naruto knew what he meant by physical strength, so he decided to test it out by going to a nearby river and lake area where there was not too much noise going on. As he took off his clothes leaving only his swimsuit on, he enters the water and begins his training. As his family watched, Shikaku called out to him, "Naruto, extend your arms when you are in the water, you will be able to swim much faster." Naruto did as he was told and then started wading across the river down stream towards the lake and surfaced upwards. He then exits from the water and sat down on the grassy area waiting for further instructions. As he sees his family approaching him, Inoichi said to him, "Well, did you experience chills in the water when you went in or was it invigorating for you?"

"The water was great, but this is the first time that I ever started swimming, but what can swimming do for my body?" asked Naruto.

"Water can help counter your fox's red chakra and prevent it from coming out of your body, disabling your use. The reason why you needed the water exercise is because you are only using red chakra from your body to unleash techniques, and this can impact the effectiveness of an attack no matter what type it is. Now, since you have two types of chakra, the red and blue one, you didn't release any blue energy from your body. If you don't release it, then your ability to perform ninjutsu leaves a lot to be desired. If at anytime we detect the presence of red chakra, the Hokage orders us to seal it permanently because we need to see your good side, not the evil side." Replied Tsume.

"Yep, the leader of the wolf pack is right, gaki. I know all about the fox's chakra inside of you because ever since the fourth sealed it inside of you, you were unable to control its power. The Sandaime personally had allowed me to oversee Naruto's training as well and he wants me to perform a jutsu that will prevent the boy from unleashing the tails of the beast. This means that if he happens to go into the four-tails mode, it could put the entire village in jeopardy." Replied the toad sannin from the trees.

"Jiraiya-sama? What are you doing here and why are you interrupting our training session?" asked Choza.

"I was sent here by the Hokage himself, and seeing him having mentors like you guys just amuses me, but you do know that he needs a special tutor, someone like me who will teach him the art of summoning toads and many other techniques." Replied Jiraiya.

"If you are planning to turn him into a pervert, then Naruto would probably refuse your offer, you troublesome codger.' Replied Shikaku with a frown.

Jiraiya sweat-dropped at that remark but decided to speak up at the last minute, "It's true, you guys, besides the techniques that he will learn from you, he will also learn to summon animal creatures to help fight along side him in combat, that's why I am also available, please let me assist." Replied the toad hermit.

The others looked at him for a moment and had no choice but to take his offer. They tried not to say no, but they couldn't resist at the last moment because of what could happen to Naruto if he was trained by a sannin. "All right, Jiraiya-sama, we'll take your offer, but if at anytime if you are taking him to somewhere peeping other than training, we will take Naruto out of your hands. Consider that your first warning, is that clear?"

Jiraiya nodded his head and went off to deliver his report to the Hokage regarding Naruto's inner self and the fox. After he had gone out of sight, Naruto turned to his family and asked them, "Was that ero-sennin? I wonder what he wanted that was so important." Asked Naruto.

"Believe me, Naruto-san, you don't want to know, but lets resume your training." Replied Hiashi.

And so, Naruto and his instructors continued where they left off after that small brief interruption by the legendary pervert. But Naruto was still not clear what that old man wanted, so ignoring what had happened for now, he gets right back into his exercises.

**And that would conclude this chapter. This had taken me almost two weeks to finish and I know it was a long one, I'll try to keep the next one short and since its already the start of 2009, I will have more ideas for you in the next chapter. The next one will continue with more of Naruto's training and kakashi showing him how to master the basics of ninjutsu techniques and the trick behind the lightning blade. It will be "Basic Training 1: ninjutsu" chapter 9. See you all within three weeks.**

**Combatally12**


	9. Chapter 9: Close Combat training

Naruto Hatake: Hokage rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage rising

Note: As always, owning of Naruto or its disclaimers is not my thing.

Hello again all you fans of Naruto. Welcome to another exciting chapter of Hatake Naruto. In the last chapter, our hero celebrated his birthday with his family and received a lot of presents from them and his friends. And now, Naruto is now fine tuning his training with the Hyugas and learning gentle fist in this chapter. He will also be training with Lee to let the flames of youth shine. And now on with the show

Chapter 9: Close combat Taijutsu training

Previously on Naruto…

"Naruto, what I want you to do with the trench knife is add some wind chakra to it and try to toss it as far as you can so that it cuts deeper into the tree bark. What I meant by this is once you have transferred chakra onto this weapon, you have exerted a huge amount of force on the knife and you should be able to cut things very smoothly and easily with no complications. And since you can manipulate wind chakra, Kakashi told you the basics about this right?" said Asuma.

"Yes, It took me a while to practice using wind chakra on the waterfall area because as Kakashi had mentioned, I am one with mother nature, so even with my power of wind chakra and the use of nature, why do I need a trench knife?" asked Naruto。

"Well, the reason why you would need the trench knife is because you can cut down the opponent's chakra down to half, just like how a knife cuts through butter. With one swipe of the knife, the enemy will fall to his death. But you do realize that there is a minor setback, right? There is very little hand to hand combat involved, but not to worry, I'll show you how to use it, and in all good time, you'll be able to master the use of the trench knife." Said Asuma as he handed one of the trench knives to Naruto.

Naruto nodded as he tossed the trench knife at the tree while implementing wind chakra on the weapon. As the knife was tossed, it sliced through the other trees tearing deep holes into all of them like an arrow going through twelve battle axes before it hits a wall. (I'm comparing this to the Homer's story "The Odyssey") The knife went through the sixth tree before it comes to a complete stop on the seventh tree and punctures a deep hole in the tree bark. Naruto was in shock, he didn't know how powerful he had throw the knife and what sort of power he had unleashed. Even Asuma stared in shock and shook his head in disbelief, "Oh my! Where did Naruto learn how to throw a knife that far? His skill really impresses me; I think he should be ready to know Neji and Hinata's gentle fist by now." thought Asuma.

0o0o0o0o0o

The next day, as Naruto continued to practice with the trench knives, he found that it was much easier and smoother to use now because he was able to toss it at long range targets, he can also do short range targets. He also went over to a dojo to slice up a few mannequins with the trench knives. His skills with the trench knives have been gradually improving and even Kakashi was impressed at how fast Hatake Naruto was progressing on his training thus far. Now, the one-eyed jounin feels that his young brother is ready for his next phase of his training: using taijutsu to the best of his ability. So he was sent over to the Hyuga compound to train with Neji and Hinata in order to learn gentle fist. As he arrived, a servant arrived and said, "May I help you, naruto-san?"

"Yes, are Neji or Hinata Hyuga around? My name is Uzumaki Hatake Naruto and I was sent here by Kakashi-senpai to train with my adoptive sister and cousin." Said Naruto politely.

"Sure, this way please. Neji and Hinata were waiting anxiously for you to train with them. But now that you are here, thye will be glad to see you." Said the servant as he led Naruto to the Hyuga compound and into the training area where Neji and Hinata were having tea with their father and uncle, Hyuga Hiashi. As they saw Naruto, they smiled and said, "Good day, naruto-san, it's great to see you. Are you ready to start the next phase of your training?" asked Hiashi.

"I am more than ready, Hyuga-sama, but the jyuken does involve chakra use and there are a lot of steps to it right? Neji, since youa nd Hinata have this type of technique, it could easily defeat any opponent to sever their chakra network, is that true?" asked Naruto.

"It is true, but there is something else that is involved, using the jyuken would require lots of chakra in the palms of our hands whenever we need to punch any opponent in any of their body parts, it will cause them to lose consciousness with in seconds after they are struck at certain points in the body. Let me demonstrate for you." Said Neji. He quickly activates his Byakugan, and calls out, "You are in the zone of my eight trigrams. Eight trigrams two strikes, four strikes, eight strikes, sixteen strikes, thirty-two strikes. Eight trigrams sixty-four strikes. And that, is what I call the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" said Neji as he deactivates his Byakugan before releasing the blonde.

"That's a powerful technique of the Hyuga Clan, Neji-san. But you did exhaust a lot of chakra when you used it. How is this different from the regular style of taijutsu combat?" asked Naruto.

"The Hakke Rokujuyon sho taijutsu involves fast speed, movement, and stealth in order to execute it and because I have no blind spots, I can quickly manipulate chakra in the palms of my hands and the enemy cannot resist my attack, they will be finished off very quickly and will be left unable to perform any new moves after my attack hits them at their various places in the body causing them unable to move. And when they can't move, their chakra network will be blocked and they won't be able to make hand signs or perform techniques. It's the Hyuga style Taijutsu. However, when I don't release any chakra I can make a large number of punches to the enemy and then causing their defense to fall and I won't lose to anyone." Said Neji. "Now, want to spar with me?"

"I would love to, and this is the beginning of my training exercise with you right? I would love to face a new challenge like this." Said Naruto as he raised his hands getting ready in his fighting stance. As Hinata and her estranged father, Hiashi watched the battle; they were dying to see what Naruto had learned so far. So Naruto created his clones and charged towards Neji and unleashed a barrage of punches but Neji defended himself with his palm rotation causing Naruto falling backwards to the ground, but he got right back up immediately and continued fighting again and this time, he threw a large number of kunai knives and shurikens at Neji, but he dodged them again and again.

As Neji snuck up in front of Naruto he activates his Byakugan and called out, "eight trigrams palms rotation! You didn't think you would win this easily, do you? Here comes my next attack and there is no stopping it. Here is my gentle fist! Impressive, isn't it?" said Neji with a smile as Naruto as he collapsed onto the ground. Afterwards, Naruto got up and smiled. He admitted his defeat to Neji and said, 'Well, you may have beaten me, and thanks for a great match, I really enjoyed it." Said Naruto.

Neji looked at him for a moment and helped Naruto up to his feet, he then smiled at him and shook his hand, and Naruto returned the handshake and they will remain best friends forever as Hinata and Hiashi clapped their hands for the two boys' splendid performance. Their skills are equal to each other as of now and their match will never be forgotten. After the sparring match, naruto decided to work on the gentle fist with Neji for a bit before moving on to other techniques like the rotation and the 8 trigrams 64 palms, this was something that Naruto wanted to learn for a long time, but will require lots of concentration and hard work.

As Naruto practiced with Neji, the hyuga clan showed him the proper way to unleash the punches with chakra in the palms of their hands before releashing them to the enemy. Then, Naruto was asked to do the punches on a punching bag and then the same on a practice dummy. As naruto practiced, he was getting better bad better with the step by step instructions by Neji and Hyuga Hiashi. Sometimes Naruto would collapse from hunger and exhaustion after long hours of practice so Hyuga Hiashi sets him down on the bed for rest before he resumes and sometimes Naruto would go with Kurenai to the Shushuya to eat his vegetables before he continues training. But sometimes his friends would tell him that a shinobi must rest once in a while and train the next day to build up their strength.

As Naruto continued his training with Neji's family, he feels that his strength has been gradually increasing and his performance of the gentle fist has been improving. Within days he was able to increase the chakra flow to the palms of his hands and combine taijutsu and his clone techniques in order to increase his punches and deliver them to the enemy without even stopping his attack for one count, his movement has increased speed and his stamina has dramatically increased as well. If he keeps this up, he would be acquiring his family's techniques very soon, but due to his bloodline limit, he may not have the strength to control it due to the kyubii sealed inside of him, but as the Hokage had aid to his family earlier that he wanted them to seal some of their powers inside of him in order to suppress the fox's chakra because he is like gaara, who also has a monster inside of them which makes them both jinchuurikis. Anyhow, as naruto continued progressing in his training, he is asked to do a series of tasks for the Hyuga clan which involves running and carrying items on or around the compound, and even to the shop owners, but Naruto had a claustrophobia of shop owners because he feels that he would be rejected by them because they fear that the monster in the blonde would scare away all the customers.

"You're still having that déjà vu feeling again about the people of Konoha mistreating you right? Its times like this that you wish that the people of konoha wants to see you as a hero and as a person who can change people's outlook on life because you always care the most about them. As you have said, you wanted them to be your friends because you care about them a lot, is that true?" asked Neji.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want the village to see me as. I wish for once they would stop treating me like I'm the monster that tears things to shreds and just treat me like a person who respects his people and a hero who keeps his friends safe from harm. I can't allow another person or comrade to get hurt and as Kakashi had said to me earlier, anyone who leaves a comrade for dead is trash." Said naruto.

"I see, so you protect the ones you love, which is very interesting. But you have helped me to understand that people can change and they have what it takes to be a great shinobi, Naruto-san. You've given me courage, and taught me a lot of things." Replied neji as he showed his first true smile towards his cousin. Naruto was the first person to have people that showed him how much they really care for him just like how his father, the Yondaime, took care of him when he was born.

After Naruto finished up his training with Neji, he now moves on to train with Lee because the green-clad boy had been doing a lot of exercising with his teacher, Gai-sensei ecause he abides by his own rules because that's his way of the shinobi. Lee always took his training very seriously but sometimes too much exercising would tire him out. Even though Lee is very proficient at using taijutsu, but not ninjutsu or taijutsu. He got all of his training regimes from his teacher and they look identical. He is a polite person and being respectful to other people. As he saw Naruto arriving he said to him, 'Good day, Naruto-kun. I take it you are willing to train with me. Are you ready to feel the flames of youth as we work up a sweat today, my friend?"

"Uh… Of course, I am ready to train with you at anytime, hehe!" said Naruto nervously as Lee held onto his hand begging the blonde to train with him, even though this had made Naruto very uncomfortable, it was also kind of disturbing. Lee had also developed a rivalry with Uchiha Sasuke because the raven-haired kid's strength was nearly identical and he had picked up Lee's technique, the shadow of the dancing leaf. Naruto had wondered how did Lee get this strong and how is he able to have such incredible speeds while combating with opponents? "I never realized how Lee got this good, but if I can become as good as bushy-brow, I would be able to perform some of his techniques." Thought Naruto. As he prepped himself, Lee said to him, "Okay, to begin our training, we start with jogging for 8 miles, and if you can't do that, then its five hundred push ups!" said Lee while he showed his sparkling smile on his face. Naruto sweat-dropped at that as he complied with his terms. So he and Lee started jogging like crazy around the training field and did some weight lifting. But naruto couldn't keep up with Lee, so the taijutsu master had Naruto do five hundred push-ups. As they had begun, lee's speed had increased, and Naruto tried his best but still couldn't keep up. Afterwards, Lee had given him some tea and said to him "What's the matter my friend? Are you not in the mood to warm up?"

"I'm okay, Lee. But lately, my mind had been filled with nightmares that I'm not sure how to get rid of. I don't really know what it is, its' either the villagers that hate me the most or this monster inside of me that's causing a lot of trouble." Said Naruto.

"Oh, I see, but still, cheer up Naruto, let's work on sweating up our youth together! We must both abide by our own shinobi way, bro!" barked Lee.

Naruto's face started to twitch as he heard that word "youth" from Lee. He was about to run from there at any moment when all of a sudden, a jounin wearing green tights and a chunin vest appeared in a puff of smoke. It was Lee's teacher, Gai-sensei, who was most respected by all fellow shinobi of Konoha and his clothes were identical as that of Lee's. As Naruto watched, he was most impressed by the shinobi and went over to him, "Hey there, Gai-sensei! So you are the person that Lee adores the most, right? Neji and Tenten had told me a lot about you were for the use of the hidden lotus, is that true?"

"Yes, exactly. I am also Kakashi's greatest rival and I always have the upper hand when he and I do activities such as exercising, playing poker, go fishing, kill off enemy shinobi, or just go on random missions. And the total number of wins Kakashi had was49, while the losses was 48. I am still trying to keep up with that white-haired jounin. How is kakashi doing these days and you must be that Naruto Hatake Uzumaki that I heard so much about ever since your difficulties with the villagers, right?" said Gai.

Naruto looked at Gai for a moment and said, "Yes, that's me, the name Hatake was given to me by Kakashi because he thinks it's a perfect nickname for me as I become a proud member of his family. I was also adopted by the other clans of Konoha and because of them, they helped me out with a lot of things and had given me a chance to be the best that I could be." Said Naruto as he gave Gai a smile and a thumbs up.

Gai was amused that Naruto was adopted by all the clans of Konoha and smiled at him, "That was so heartwarming of Kakashi and the rest of your family to adopt you, Naruto. I am very happy for you. When I first met Lee, he was a splendid shinobi, but even though he doesn't have the skills needed to learn ninjutsu or genjutsu, he will become a fine shinobi and like you who has a family, he is like a son to me and I just adore him so much." Said Gai.

"I see, so the flames of youth always burns brightly for you, even though it's kind of disturbing for me, I have someone that adores me as well and cares a lot about me. His name is Iruka and I just love him as a father figure because I care deeply for him and the other clans because of their kindness that they brought upon me and I always respect them and their abilities because they had taught me everything I had known." Said Naruto.

"Exactly, and we live by our own rules because that's our way of the shinobi." Said Gai.

Minutes later, Naruto was trained by Gai at using taijutsu and also he showed him some methods to doing the hidden lotus and also the leaf hurricane because this was the moment that naruto was waiting for. He was willing to give the leaf hurricane a try and rename it the Naruto whirlwind kick. But Naruto knows that this is the type of tehcnoqie that most shinobi can't really master on their own and would require lots of work and practice. But if Naruto really worked at it, he would succeed at this and might be a part of Gai's flame of youth member, but he found it to be weird if he had worn the green suit, but what's even worse, Konoha would call Naruto "The Green Beast" and Neji and tenten would be laughing their heads off.

As Naruto proceeded to show Gai his moves, he began by making handselas and called out, "Kage bushing no jutsu!" Soon a large amount of Naruto clones appeared on the field and when Gai sees them for the first time, he was impressed at his technique and said, "Now that's what I like to see, come at me from any direction and I'll fight you to the best of my abilities." Said Gai. He then springs forward and laid punch after punch on Naruto, but all he had hit were his clones and had a hard time finding the real blonde. He then unleashed his first secret weapon, "Feel the flames of youth as I unleash this on you, take this! Leaf whirlwind!" He should the and one kick landed on Naruto's arm causing him to fall backwards, but he immediately got up and wiped the blood from his face and continued attacking with punches to Gai, but the man kept dodging them and there as no way that Naruto could win this. Gai then unleashed his next attack, the severe leaf hurricane on Naruto and this time it landed on Naruto's face and also on his left temple.

As Lee watched the battle, he was more influenced at how his mentor had battled Naruto but as Gai continued fighting, he was using up all of his strength and he needed rest. So after the battle, Gai decided now to take a break from training and then explained to naruto about the basics of his techniques. It took a while for naruto to understand the taijutsu techniques, but this had given him another idea about renaming it the ultimate entry and naruto lotus. However, his skills and speed were not even close to lee's speed.

"That was such a beautiful battle, now it makes the flames of youth burn even brighter for me! Long live the flames of youth!" shouted Lee to the sunset. As Neji and Tenten watched, they held their heads down with embarrassment and thought, "When are you going to stop with this youth thing? You are really starting to annoy us with that shit, you know that?"

As naruto continued his taijutsu training with gai and lee, he feels now that this is the area that he was most proficient in because his ninjutsu skills weren't that good because of his poor chakra control. But after a few days, his chakra control had been dramatically improved ever since his training with his family. Even kakashi said that naruto had all the skills he needs to be a true shinobi of Konoha because he had overseen Naruto's improvement and that he was ready for a real mission once he is assigned to a three man cell after graduation from the academy. His family also recommended naruto that he still had a few kinks to work on so that he can further manipulate and control chakra without overusing it or exerting it too much. Even Anko said that naruto would be able to train with his family and friends for six whole months when Jiraiya is out on a mission for six months after Tsunade returns.

"Okay, naruto, now that you have mastered the basics with using taijutsu, I want you to demonstrate the primary lotus on lee because I feel that you have greatly improved ever since you first started your training with us." Said Gai.

"You want me to demonstrate the primary lotus? I don't know if I can be able to release it on time, but okay.' Said Naruto. He then gets ready in his fighting stance with Lee as both bowed to each other and wishing each other luck. They then started the match with Lee calling to naruto, "Come at me from any direction!" Soon, Naruto was up in the air and already created clones as a distraction while battling Lee. He then called out, "_U-zu-ma-ki! Naruto Rendan!" _As he unleashed the attack Lee was knocked to the ground face down but he got right back up and pushed naruto's feet away from his head and said, "You are good, but not good enough, now I will come at you with full force, prepare yourself!" said lee as he speeds up towards the blonde and snuck up behind him and grabbed him from behind and called out, "I feel the flames of youth already! _Shadow of the dancing leaf!"_

As the smoke cleared, Lee got right back up after he unleashed that attack on Naruto and then said to him, "You have fought well for a first-timer. We will have a rematch later on. Are you all right?" he said as he helped naruto up.

Tears came out of naruto's eyes as a smile appeared on his face and bellowed, "Thank you so much for that lovely bout. You are the true master and I still have a lot to learn from you. I've enjoyed it so much and I feel the flames of youth affecting me!" He then hugs Lee afterwards like some drunk hugging a girl at a bar. As Neji and Tenten watched, they were most embarrassed. Neji then walked over to the two lovebirds and said, "All right, enough of your foolish "flames of youth" thing, it's getting annoying now so cut it out. You need to get home and get some rest now, Naruto. Your taijutsu training is complete."

Neji then carried a tired Naruto on his arms and walked him back to the Inuzuka compound where Kuromaru was waiting for him. As Tsume watched, she smiled and said to Neji and said, "Thanks for brining naruto home, Neji-san. I guess he must have worked up a sweat today, eh?"

"From what I"ve seen, yes, he had worked out a huge sweat today. But I have to tell you, I was amused at how perfected his chakra control. It's like Naruto has become a whole other person now." Said Neji.

"Yes, I can see that, and I am very proud of his hard work that he had done. Thanks for brining him home, I'm sure that he must be very exhausted after his long day of training." Said Tsume as she carried Naruto in her arms.

"My pleasure, Inuzuka-sama, I think Naruto seems to be getting along really well with you ever since his adoption. I think that he has now formed a close bond with his friends adnd family now in Konoha." Replied Neji.

"Yes, he certainly has. Even the Hokage was proud of the hard work he did, but we're still worried about his safety. But with the anbu giving him round the clock protection, we shouldn't worry about him too much. Anyway, would you like to come in for a bit?" asked Tsume.

"Oh, no, thanks. I need to get home to get some rest as well, my uncle will be worried about me if I stay out too late, but thanks for the offer though. I'll see you later!" called neji as he left the Inuzuka residence.

"He is such a cool guy and he gets along well with other people, I think neji had became very close to naruto and sees him as a cousin because he cares so much about the blonde, what do you think Kuromaru?" said tsume to her dog.

"I agree with you there, Tsume, but still Naruto's adjustment to life in konoha is really improving thanks to the help he received from all of us. You know, from what I've seen, konoha had put a lot of pressure on the poor kid in the beginning due to the kyubii inside of him. Isn't there any other thing we can do to help him?" said Kuromaru as he sat down next to Kiba's mother while he leaned on her vest wanting to be scratched behind the ears.

"I don't know Kuromaru. There are some things that are difficult for us too. Naruto suffered a lot over the past and you and I both know that he didn't deserve this. But it was hard for me to describe how I felt about Naruto's harsh life because of how he was being treated, however, I really would like to have the people of Konoha be a little bit nicer to him instead of treating him like a monster." Replied Tsume as she scratched behind Kuromaru's ear while rubbing his fur against her vest for a massage.

"I would like to see that too," replied Kuromaru. And they both watched the full moon tonight while Naruto slept in Kiba's room. Kiba was still out on a mission with Kurenai and he won't be back for another hour or so, but still Naruto knows that deep inside of him, his father and mother are still watching him and cheering for him to be as strong as ever. It was already 8 pm at night as the village of Konoha starts to get busy with the festivities around town and many of the shinobi are outside having a party. As naruto heard the noises, he got up and went downstairs and dashed outside where Kuromaru and tsume were. As he sat down next to them, he felt Tsume's hands holding on to him and Kuromaru's face resting on naruto's leg as he felt the soft fur warming up the blonde. "It's such a beautiful night, I could feel the flames of youth in my mind right now!" said Naruto as he jumped up and down with excitement.

"Okay…. I have no idea what you had just said, but please don't do the youth thing in front of us, okay, pup?" said Tsume nervously. Even Kuromaru covered his head and laughed.

Naruto quickly stopped saying the youth thing because he feels that his mind had been poisoned by Gai and Lee due to their youth crap, but he didn't let that go through his mind or else it would have disastrous consequences for the entire village of Konoha. If the Hokage had found out about the youth thing, he would hit the roof and even Sasuke would think that Naruto was a complete idiot for training with a taijutsu freak. And if Konoha sees the kid wearing the green tights, everyone will surely make fun of him and call him a complete weirdo. So Naruto had managed to save the suit until he really needed it. Up until now, his training with the clans of Konoha had been progressing really well so far and the techniques that were sealed into him had suppressed the fox's chakra and prevented it from coming out.

Now that he had completed his training with the Hyugas and the Inuzukas, along with the genjutsu training and the use of trench knives from Asuma, he was now ready to learn about insect jutsus and many others, but the second part of his training won't be easy because he knows that it would be getting more and more difficult for be. He was not used to bugs and other insects but he did take a liking to them. But with insects in Naruto's body, it could most likely block out the fox's chakra and unleash naruto's other techniques. And so, the next morning, he heads over to the Aburame's compound to learn about insects and their anatomy.

Naruto had never studied insects before so this would prove to be a challenge to him as he heads off into he direction of the Aburame clan's house where Shino was an expert in the field of insects. Naruto now realized that the Aburame clan uses insects to help them fight because they are able to track down the scent of a human much quicker than dogs can. As Naruto arrived at the Aburame's hosue, he knocked on the door and said, "Hi, is Aburame Shino home? I'm Naruto Hatake Uzumaki and I was sent here by the Hokage to learn about insects and their anatomy and the instructor, Aburame Shibi." Said Naruto.

The door opened and a man with sunglasses and a large white trench coat appeared in front of naruto and said to him, "Welcome, Uzumaki Hatake Naruto! I'm glad that you have taken your time in getting here, I hope that long walk wasn't too much trouble for you." Said Shibi, who had shown a friendly smile towards the blonde.

"Oh, no, the walk to your house wasn't any trouble at all because I was able to find your place with ease, Aburame-sama.. Where is Shino right now?" asked naruto.

"He should be back within an hour or two, why don't you come in? Your training with us on learning insects and acquiring bug-type jutsus will be starting soon, but not until Shino returns. Are you ready to learn about the insects?" asked Shibi.

"I am more then ready to lean about insects, Aburame-sama." Said Naruto with a smile which shows the man that he meant every single word and that he was ready to show his true strength to the whole world because he is not the kind of shinobi who will tolerate insults and threats from the civilians. In fact, he has now changed greatly after his tenth birthday and was more mature and assumes more responsibility now.

Shibi was impressed that Naruto was able to stand up for himself and ready to face his next new challenge. So he said to him, "That's really good, Naruto. I'm glad to see you are back to your normal tough self, now this training won't be an easy one because of your bloodline limit, but in the beginning we'll start with the basics before we move on to the more advanced bug type jutsus, is that okay with you, Naruto?" asked Shibi.

"Of course, Aburame-sama, I'm willing to try anything basic before moving on to complicated stuff." Said Naruto. And so Shibi had begun to teach Naruto the basics of using insects to manipulate chakra and how they inhabit a human's inside body.

**And that, my friends will end this chapter on "Close Combat training" I know I took a long time to do this but I was so tired from the China trip I barely had time to finish. I've waited so long to post this so tonight would be perfect for me to get this added in. In this chapter, I've mentioned about Naruto's ninjutsu and genjutsu needing some improvement and how was able to master Gai and Lee's trademark techniques. I've also added the beginning of Naruto's bug training exercise with Shino, but that won't e released until next week. The next chapter will be called, "The Insect Handler" Let me know what you think of this and review it. I'll see everyone next week. Bye.**

**Combatally12**


	10. Chapter 10: Insect Techniques

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake: Hokage Rising

Note: I don't own Naruto or the disclaimers (But you already know all that.)

Welcome back to another exciting chapter of our young hero, Naruto hatake. Before we begin, let me jus tell that above all the review and the decent number of hits I have gotten, writing these stories is like a hobby for me and I dream to pursue a career in writing. But as you may know, I have to reedit the second story so that it will make much more sense about naruto having the sharingan eye. So I will change it to 'The Kyubii's sharingan." Anyway, back to the main point. In the previous chapter, Naruto was trained by Lee and Neji on taijutsu so that he can enhance his long and short range attacks on enemies. So today's chapter will focus on Naruto using insects for his arsenal to fend off intruders as requested by the Hokage himself. And know on with the show.

Chapter 10: The Insect Handler

Previously on Naruto…

Now that Naruto had completed his training of genjutsu from Kurenai and the use of trench knives from Asuma, he was more then ready to move on to other new and advanced techniques to further increase his strength and stamina. As he walked down the street toward the Aburame's residence, he started to think about the training that he had done with Neji, Lee, and Kiba because Naruto had learned everything he can from them. He even thinks that their training had helped Naruto even when he's still just starting out.

Naruto was now ready to begin the second part of his training, which unlike the first part, will be a bit more challenging for him because this time he must combine wind nature and chakra manipulation along with the use of his Bushins. The next part of his training was for him to learn about insect jutsus with the Aburame clan. Although Naruto was not used to bugs and other insects, he took a liking to them. However, the good news was that if Naruto had insects inhabiting his body, it will suppress the fox's chakra so that narutou can unelash his other jutsus. By the next morning, he went over to the Aburame's residence to learn about insect and their anatomy.

As Naruto heads over to the Aburame clan's house, he knows that one person was an expert in the field of insects; it was none other then Shino. He now realized that the Aburame clan uses insects to aid them in their fight because they are able to track down human scents much quickly than dogs can. Once Naruto arrived at the house, he knocked o the door and said, "Good day, is this the residence of Shino Aburame? My name is Naruto Hatake Uzumaki and the Hokage had sent me here to learn about insects and insect anatomy with the help of the instructor, Shibi Aburame." Said Naruto.

The door opened and the man who approached him had sunglasses and a large white trench coat on his body. As he appeared in front of Naruto, he said to the blonde, "Hello there, Naruto! I'm glad to see you drop by here. I hope that long walk wasn't too much trouble for you." Said Shibi as he showed his smile towards Naruto.

"Oh, no, no it was no trouble at all. I was able to locate your place with no problems, Aburame-sama. Speaking of locations, where is Shino right now?" asked Naruto.

"Shino is currently helping Kurenai backing up another squad on a mission right now, so he'll be back soon. Anyway, come on in. Today you will learn about insects and acquiring bug-type jutsus, but you might have to wait until Shino returns since he is an expert at using bugs to hunt enemies down. So, are you ready to uncover the mystery of the insects?" replied Shibi.

"You bet I am. I am always willing to learn new things like insects, Aburame-sama, hehehe!" said naruto with a smile. This was the first time that Naruto had ever been presented with a challenge because he was ready to show the world his true strength because he will not tolerate any insults or threats from civilians. He has now changed greatly after his tenth birthday and had become more mature as he assumes greater responsibility.

"I'm glad to see that you are back to your normal self again, tough guy. However I must warn you, this next phase of your training will not be easy because unlike the first part, the second part would require lots of concentration. Also, because of your bloodline limit, we'll start with the basic foundations of insect knowledge before we move on the insect jutsus because this way you will be able to make insect clones., does that sound okay to you, Naruto?" asked the Aburame clan heir.

Of course, Shibi tou-san, I'm willing to try anything before moving onto complicated stuff. So the Hokage has asked you to train me for the basics of these techniques before I graduate from the academy and then afterwards, I will move on to more advanced jutsus that you have in store for me, right?" asked a curious Naruto.

"Yes, we'll definitely have you learn more new stuff after you graduate from the academy." Said Shibi. And so, the man had begun to teach Naruto the basics of using insects to manipulate chakra and how they inhabit a human's body.

0o0o0o0o0

As their training began, Shibi had asked Naruto to identify all the bugs that are shown in the cages by using the descriptions of an insect and their body parts. By the week's end, Naruto was able to identify about three quarters of the insects because there are some new bugs that not even the entire village of Konoha had ever seen before. Then Naruto was take to the forest to gather up some new bugs so that they can store them inside gourds, small cages, have them fly around the garden area to gather pollen or track down activities going around the village. And within a few days, Naruto was able to track down several rare families of insects and some of the well known ones including the goliath beetle, helmet beetle, army ants, leaf-eating wasps, moths, butterflies and other creatures.

Next, Shibi decided to teach Naruto the basics of summoning insects, known as the _Mishiyose no jutsu_, or the bug gathering technique. However, this technique does not require the use of chakra, but only the use of an index finger to call out the bugs to any area within 10 meters. He then explained to Naruto that the insects will crawl into his body and then stay there until they are called upon to battle or to locate explosives, human scents and other things.

"Don't worry Naruto, the bugs are pretty harmless and they won't hurt you. And as long as they are able to suppress the fox's chakra, you won't be in danger. The reason why I had the bugs go into your body was because they need to feed on your chakra, in return, you will have the ability to command them to attack and do other tasks. You will also find a number of uses for the bugs to devise a number of jutsus, but if you happen to run out of bugs, you can always use the, bug gathering technique, to create a web-like array of chakra so that way the nearby bugs will be lured towards you. As you continue to progress with the use of the bugs combined with your fighting styles, you will advance to the rank of chunin very easily." Replied Shibi as he placed his hands on Naruto while showing his emotions towards the blonde.

"Really? I could be a chunin with my fighting styles along with the use of these bugs? Wow! I didn't know that. I thought that people with advanced fighting skills along with high levels of concentration plus determination will make chunin, isn't that right?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, but also, there are shinobis who have true potential, high intelligence, good leadership, and having the ability to rely on his or her teammates will be chunin as well, and I'm sure you will have those skills and you will definitely have what it takes to be an excellent shinobi, Naruto." Replied Shibi.

As Naruto continued his training with the use of insects, he seemed to have developed an understanding of the bugs and their purposes that they serve for the Aburame clan. He was more then ready to learn the bug clone technique, but he still wanted to know the insects came to be fused with humans. So he asked Shibi for the answer.

Shibi explained to Naruto that a long time ago, he along with the rest of the clan had a long bitter rivalry with the Kamizuru clan from Iwagakure and they had an all out battle royale with the Kamizurus until their defeat and the Aburame clan had won back their pride by using the insects against their enemies and will always remain as strong. But they will not accept defeat from other villages and that's why he considered himself the self-possessed figure and the proud leader of the Aburame clan. As naruto heard this, he was most surprised that the Aburame leader like Shibi can fend off the Kamizuru clan with the use of bugs and he was wondering if he could be just like him with the bugs inside of his body.

"Okay Naruto, I will be infusing the bugs to go inside of your body so that they can feed onto your chakra network so that way you will be able to perform the clone jutsu much more easily without the use of hand seals. As the bugs take over your body, you may become very uncomfortable or feel some pain in your body, but don't worry, you won't feel much pain afterwards. The process will take a few hours so try not to move, okay? Are you ready, my friend?" asked Shibi.

"Well, no pain, no gain. Let's do it, Aburame-sama!" said Naruto with a glee as he prepped himself to become a bug user. A few minutes later, Shino came home and when he saw Naruto, he said, "Hey Naruto! It's good to see you. I see you are studying upon bug techniques, huh? Good luck, Naruto-taichou!" said Shino.

"Thanks Shino! Once I am done here, I will show you some of the killer new techniques I have picked up from the other clans of Konoha. I'm sure you'll find my new techniques to be really powerful." Said Naruto. Soon, it was time for the infusion to begin as the blonde sat down cross-legged on the floor while closing his eyes. Soon, Shino's father gave the bugs a signal and they all marched out of his gourd and moved towards Naruto. Some of them entered from his arms, others onto his legs, and the rest entered upon his head, his back, and other areas on his body. Now that Naruto has a large horde of bugs resting on his body, he felt a bit ticklish. Soon, Shibi folded his hands together and unleashed a technique so that the bugs are completely blended inside Naruto. This time Naruto felt a bit uneasy with the bugs going to his inner body, but he continued holding still as the bugs continued going deep inside.

After the bugs have settled in Naruto's body, they began feeding onto his chakra slowly. At that moment, Naruto felt a bit of discomfort and said, "I think I am feeling some pain now, but I can take it."

"Okay, but if at some point you feel a bit dizzy or if the pain gets worse, tell me, and then we'll stop with the bug infusion, all right? I think you are doing great even with the bugs feeding on your chakra, so I don't think you should worry about pain now." Replied Shibi as more of the bugs came crawling out of his gourd and entered into Naruto's body. As they entered the kid's body, he felt a sharp pain inside his body as his focus and concentration started to deteriorate.

As Naruto struggled to hold off the pain, the fox's chakra was halfway suppressed and soon Shibi performed a seal on Naruto's body to channel the bug's chakra onto his hand so that he would be able to call upon them at anytime during close combat. Naruto also found the bugs to be useful in drawing out poison from other people's body as a healing technique. As the last of the bugs finishes up with the feeding of the boy's chakra, Naruto's pain was gone and soon the remaining bugs crawled out of Naruto and returned to the gourd to rest up. Soon, the infusion as complete and Shibi asked, "How do you feel now, Naruto? When the bugs are in your body, you will have the ability to control them with ease. And you should be able to make an insect clone out of the bugs without performing any hand seals."

"I feel great, except maybe a little bit dizzy after the bugs are stuck inside of my body. There might be some numbness all over me because of the sealing. But if for some reason the bugs go out of control how do I make sure that they won't attack my friends?" asked Naruto.

"There is a special technique that will allow you to call the bugs back into your body without having to perform hand seals, but if you use too much of the bug's chakra, eventually you may become exhausted and will need some rest. Since this is your first time being infused with the kikaichu bugs, you may not be able to get used to it. So take your time with the bugs and please take good care of them because they are like pets to you, Naruto." Said Shibi while holding Naruto's hand as a promise to take care of precious things.

Naruto felt a little nervous at first because he didn't know much about taking care of pets before. For Naruto, taking care of insects was a bit of a challenge for him, but he seemed to have taken an interest in pets. Sometimes he's over at Kakashi's house babysitting his dogs while the copycat ninja was out on a mission, other times he babysits Akamaru while Kiba and his mother goes shopping. But this was the first time that Naruto had taken an interest in pets and will do his best to protect them from danger because if he wanted to have a pet of his own someday, he needs to learn responsibility.

"All right, Naruto. Now that you are infused with the bugs, its time for your first lesson on learning how to perform your first insect technique. You've had a review on the basics of chakra manipulation, am I right? If you are able to manipulate chakra, then we can get straight into the technique now." Said Shibi.

"Yes, I had a review of molding chakra and its manipulation. So, I am more then ready to learn my first bug technique." Said Naruto.

"All right, then Naruto. Since you have already known how to summon insects, why don't you start by creating a clone of yourself using the Kikaichu bugs? And unlike your normal bunshins, the clones themselves will fall apart into its component bugs when it is hit with a weapon or when you collide into someone. However, since your clones are made of bugs, they can reform instantly." Said Shibi.

"You mean, I can make a clone with the insects inside of my body? That's really interesting! I didn't know that people can make insect clones, but I'll give it a try. Here goes. Ninja art: Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu!" said Naruto. Within seconds, a bug clone of Naruto appeared next to him and it looks exactly like the original. As Shibi watched, he was surprised that Naruto was able to create a bug clone without any problems, but nonetheless, he was pleased that Naruto had done well with combining his clones with the bugs to create the technique.

"I see that you don't have any problems in creating clones, you really are something, naruto. You do have a talent at creating new jutsus that not even the Yondaime can complete, I'm really impressed, Naruto. With your bug clone technique, you could easily defeat any opponent and maybe surpass my son, Shino, you know?" said Shibi.

"I will? Wow! This is the best day of my life and the first time I was praised by someone. I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this." Said naruto with a smile.

"Yes, but don't get too excited now, you still have a long way to go before you reach your ultimate goal as Hokage. You must also stay cool, calm, and collected, not to mention being a solitary shinobi as well. You must also make sure that when you get assigned to a three man cell, you need to expect your teammates to work hard as well. And I know that you put a lot of trust and value towards your friends, but you must also become extremely intelligent in order to stay one step ahead of your enemy opponents so that you won't be outmatched when going head to head with them, understand, Naruto?' replied the bug user.

"My dad is right, and I guarantee that you will make an excellent shinobi and hero of Konoha. But you must work hard to reach your goal, all right, Naruto?" said Shino as he placed his hands on Naruto and showed a smile towards the blonde. This had made Naruto peeved because Shino never showed too many emotions and he rarely smiles, but he wasn't about to turn his back on bug boy so he smiled back and said, "I really appreciate your confidence on me, Shino and I really want to thank you again for your help." Said Naruto.

"Oh, no problem, Naruto. I'm happy to help." Said Shino.

"Okay, Naruto. Now that you know how to use the insects to make clones, we'll work on long range attacks this time around. And the first long range attack we will cover today is the Bug Globe technique, otherwise known as _Mushi Dama. _This technique would require the use of the Kikaichu bugs to completely cover an opponent in order to trap them so that no movement is detected from the opponent. Afterwards, the bugs will drain the opponent's chakra and then swallow them up normally. However, should a victim escapes from the technique; our bugs can easily follow them. The advantage of the bug globe technique is to prevent the enemy from using any technique to escape. Although you may find it difficult to use, but with practice, eventually you'll get better and better at it. Watch carefully as I demonstrate to you the power of the Bug globe." replied Shibi. He then folded his hands together as the bugs slowly crept out of his body. Soon they buzzed around the room and then attached onto the blonde preventing him from moving. Soon the bugs started to drain his chakra out and swallowed up his body, but Naruto wouldn't fall for the same trick twice so he made a bug clone to counter the bug globe attack and protected himself from getting chakra drained. As the bugs followed Naruto he quickly jumps up in the air and launched an uppercut onto Shibi, but he missed again. Finally Shibi launched his bugs again and trapped naruto by draining his chakra out completely and then swallowed him up to end the short bout.

"Sorry about that, Naruto. Are you all right?" asked Shibi as he helped Naruto to his knees.

"I'm all right, Shibi tou-san. That bug globe attack was a pretty powerful technique that you have. Thanks for the demonstration." Said Naruto as he bowed politely to the Aburame leader.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Naruto. Now that you have experienced first hand of the bug globe technique, or the _Mushi Dama, _you should be able to use it on any formidable opponent, but the attack has to hit the enemy at point-blank in order for it to be complete. However, if the attack doesn't go through, take a second crack at it because then you'll have a better chance of making the technique very successful." Replied Shibi with a smile.

With Naruto's second successful bug technique, Shino thinks that he's ready to take his insect techniques to the next level. The Bug globe technique is exactly like the Destruction Bug Host technique with the host having the ability to use the bugs as their primary fighting technique. Because Naruto's body was offered to insects after he was born, the bugs feed and live off the chakra that his body stores and in return he will have complete command and control of the bugs as Shibi had mentioned at the beginning.

"Finally, Naruto, there is one last technique that I wanted to teach you today; the Bug Jar Technique, which unlike the Bug globe and other insect attacks, is not used for offensive purposes. This technique is used for defense just in case if you are being outnumbered by a large number of enemies and it requires chakra to maintain it. You will need the Kikaichu bugs to form a large defense dome around you by letting them fly at high speeds. Once you made the dome with the bugs, it will be strong enough to destroy incoming attacks. For example if, I want to penetrate the globe protecting Shino, they will be torn apart from the flying bugs. Now, Shino, why don't you give Naruto a demonstration of the Bug Jar technique and then Naruto will try to throw a few shurikens to cut down your defense, okay? Begin!" said Shibi.

Soon Shino and Naruto got into their fighting stance. Shino begins by commanding his bugs to form a large defensive shield to protect him from enemy attacks. Afterwards, Naruto threw a couple of kunai knives at the dome Shino had set up but it didn't go through. So he went up a bit closer and started slashing away at the dome causing Shino's defense to break. But Shino was not about to let himself be defeated, so he created another defensive barrier to completely block out Naruto's attacks. But Naruto wasn't about to give up either as he created a massive number of clones to attack the barrier from all directions, but even their attacks can't break the dome either. Next, naruto dispelled the clones and tried attacking the dome from above. He called in a clone and molded up a large amount of chakra in his hand to create a white glowing sphere as an offensive attack to break through Shino's defense. "If my clones don't work, then maybe this will! Take this! Rasengan!" called Naruto as he pushes the white spiral directly onto Shino's dome causing an explosion which rattled the house and shattered the windows. As Shibi watched, he was most amazed that Naruto was able pull out a new attack that not even the Yondaime can complete. "How did he...? no wonder he is just like his father. He never ceases to amaze me pulling off that new attack," thought Shibi.

As the smoke cleared, Naruto can see that Shino's defense was gone and bug boy was still standing there, exhausted after using a large amount of chakra for his defense. "You are really good, Naruto! You found a way to break my defensive barrier with that rasengan. I still have a lot to learn from you but what you showed me out there was absolutely stunning. I look forward to another exciting match with you, Naruto!" said Shino as he shook Naruto's hand.

Naruto smiled at Shino and shook his hand as well and said, "I look forward to the day when we have our match again, Shino-kun." Replied Naruto.

Shibi approached them and said, "Naruto that was one of the most magnificent battle performances that I have ever seen in my life. You truly do have what it takes to be a fine shinobi of Konoha. I'm really proud of you, boy." Said Shibi.

"Thanks, Aburame-sama. I couldn't have done it without you. I really want to thank you again for all your help today, I really appreciate it." Said Naruto.

"You are welcome, Naruto. You'll have more new insect techniques to study upon after you graduate from the academy. Now that you understood the basics of summoning insects and covered their attack and defense moves. I think you're good enough to learn the advanced type of bug attack movements, but this time you'll have to practice them yourself without any assistance or help. That's all for the lesson on bugs and insects today, so if you have any questions about a bug technique, you can always come to me or Shino for help, okay, naruto?" replied Shibi as he placed his hands on the blonde.

"Of course Aburame-sama, and thanks again for the lesson! See you guys later!" said Naruto. And with that, Naruto made a few hand signs and soon he disappeared into a puff of smoke. As he returned to the streets, he starts to remember all that he had learned from Shino and his family on insects and he's looking forward to keep working hard to create even stronger techniques to surpass Sasuke. As he turned to the corner, he stopped by Ino's flower shop because here he wanted to know what it was like to switch bodies with another person. As he opened the door, he ses Ino helping customers with buying flowers. He walked over to her and said, "Hello there Ino. Is your father home at the moment? I was just on my way home when I decided to stop by at your flower shop and hopefully work on learning how to switch bodies with the use of the Mind Body Switch technique." Said Naruto.

"Oh, hey Naruto. It's good to see you. Sorry, my father is out on a mission right now, but he'll be back later tonight. Once he returns, come back to the flower shop and then I'll let you meet him in person, deal?" said Ino.

"Sure, that will be great. In the meantime I need to head over to Shikamaru's house to work on shadow techniques. I'll see you later, Ino!" said Naruto, and he ran out of the flower shop and heads over to the Nara's residence.

"See you later, Naruto!" said Ino as she waved at Naruto running off into the distance.

As he walked down towards the center of Konoha he sees a sign that says, "Nara Deer ranch" pointing to the left. As he heads to the ranch, he spots Shikamaru's father herding the deers and waved at him. "Hey there, Shikaku-san, good to see you again." Said Naruto.

"How's it going, Naruto? It's good to see you, but what are you doing here?" asked Shikaku.

"Well, I was supposed to have Ino's father teach me the Mind body switch technique but he's out on a mission right now. So I thought I should stop by here and learn about shadow techniques." Said Naruto.

"Troublesome, well, you came at the right time, Naruto. Come on in, you must be exhausted after working with Shino on learning about using insects as an attack move, right? Would you like anything to drink?" asked Shikaku.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Do you have orange juice? I really do need something to quench my thirst after that practice match with Shino." Said Naruto.

Soon, Shikaku led Naruto inside and he sat down on the couch. He stopped by here before and played Shogi and Go with Shikamaru earlier. But this time, he was hoping to learn about shadow techniques and learning how to trap an enemy to prevent them from running around like crazy. The second part of the lesson on shadow techniques was learning how to strangle them with the shadow neck bind technique which only Shikaku can do, but he plans to pass it down to his son Shikamaru because he feels that Shikamaru can do a much better job at it.

"So you are here to learn about shadow techniques today, right, Naruto?" said Shikamaru.

"That's right, pineapple-head. And today, I vow to make this training a successful one with the help of Konoha!" said Naruto.

Shikamaru and his father were pretty surprised that Naruto was willing to learn how to stretch shadows and its basic principles, but they smiled at him and said, "Man, you are a troublesome shinobi, you got guts, kid, I'll give you that and you are pretty courageous too. We'll start your training after lunch." Said Shikaku.

**And cut… Damn that was a long chapter. Naruto had now perfected the insect techniques with some help from Shino and his father. But will he be able to use it against Mizuki? You'll find out more about that in "Graduation" as I still have just 4 chapters left to go to wrap up naruto's basic training with his adopted family. It took me awhile to write the entire chapter to describe the insect techniques in detail, but it was worth it. The next chapter will be called, "Shadow Techniques made easy" In that one I'll be telling you aout how Naruto will be able to perfect shadow imitation and how to strangle people with the shadow bind. It will be released next week. So please read and review since I'll be updating new chapters every Friday and posting it Saturday. Next chapter will be released Saturday October 11th, 2008. see you then.**

**Combatally12**


	11. Chapter 11: Into the Shadows

Naruto Hatake Hokage Rising

Naruto Hatake Hokage Rising

Note: I don't own Naruto or the disclaimers, so don't rub it in.

Summary: After Naruto completed his insect training, he is now moving on towards his next phase and, that's learning about shadow techniques from the Nara clan such as the Shadow imitation and shadow bind among others. Today's chapter will focus on Naruto using strategy and skill as well as learning the basics of stretching shadows of any length to reach its enemy while understanding its principles. And now time to begin, "Shadow techniques made easy"

Chapter 11: Shadow Techniques Made Easy

Previously on Naruto…

As Naruto walked down towards the village center, he sees a sign that points him to the direction of the Nara's residence where a large horde of deer are kept. As he approached the ranch, he spots the Nara clan heir herding and waved at him, "Hey there, Shikaku-san, nice to see you again." Said Naruto.

"Oh, Naruto, good to see you too, but what brings you here?" asked Shikaku.

"Well, I was hoping that Ino's father was home so that I can work on the mind body switch technique but since he's away on a mission, so I decided to come here and learn about shadow techniques and get some tips how to stretch shadows to long distances." Replied Naruto.

"How troublesome, I think you might have come a bit early, don't you think, Naruto? If a deer had spotted you on our ranch it would spell trouble, but anyway, come on in, you must really be exhausted after you learned about the bug techniques right? Would you like anything, to drink? We got orange juice, water soda." said Shikaku.

"I would definitely need some orange juice to quench my thirst after my match with bug boy." Replied Naruto.

The Nara clan heir led Naruto inside and said to him, "Make yourself at home, boy and relax here for a while." Replied the man. And so, Naruto sat down on the couch to relax for a bit. He was here before because of the game of Shogi and Go he played with Shikamaru earlier. This time, he was hoping to catch a glimpse of using shadows and hopefully learn its techniques. Furthermore, he wanted to know more about how to trap an enemy using shadows to prevent them from making a killing move. The second for Naruto to learn about shadows is knowing how to strangle his enemy opponents with the shadow neck bind technique which Shikamaru's father can do, but he knows that it will be passed down to his son later on because he feels that Shikamaru can do a much better job at it.

As Shikaku returned from the kitchen, he sat down on the couch next to Naruto and handed him the orange juice. Naruto finished the juice and thanked the man for the drink. As they were talking, Shikamaru stepped out from his room and sees naruto and said to him, "Oh, it's you Naruto. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey Shikamaru, I was here to learn about shadow techniques since you seem to be so good at it. I wanted to try your shadow techniques if you are willing to help me by going over the basics of stretching shadows and capturing an opponent with it." Replied Naruto.

"Are you sure about that, Naruto? You've covered the basics of chakra use and manipulation right? Because this next one won't be easy and it takes a while for you able to perfect shadow techniques and I know it's troublesome, but you're still willing to give a try, right?" said Shikaku.

"That's right, I'm willing to try anything new and today, I want to make this next training session a perfect one just like I did with Shino." Replied Naruto.

The Nara clan heir and his son were pretty surprised that Naruto was really fired up to learn new techniques and get a basic understanding of its principles, but eventually they smiled at him and thought, "You got guts boy, we'll give you that, although you may be a troublesome kid, but you have the courage to go though with it." Finally, after they gave it some though, they said, "Very well, Naruto-san, your training of shadows will begin right after lunch, my man." Said Shikaku as he placed his hands on Naruto.

0o0o0o0o0o

As lunch began, Naruto sat down next to his best friend Shikamaru, while his father sat across from him. He seemed to he exhausted after his training with the Aburame clan because of his overuse of chakra, as he picked up his utensils while getting ready eat, Yoshino Nara came out of the kitchen with the food all set up on the table and soon they started eating to their heart's content.

During lunch, Shikamaru said to naruto, "Oh, yeah, naruto, didn't you stop by the Yamanaka flower shop earlier? I saw you there looking for Ino's father."

'Yes, but unfortunately, he's out on a mission right now and won't be back until later as Ino had said. So she sent me here to learn about shadow techniques and the fundamentals. I was hoping to learn more about it since you guys can explain more about it." Replied Naruto.

"Hmm, explaining about the shadow techniques, that sounds like a good place to start. But I wanted to ask you, you have reviewed the basics of chakra usage right, Naruto? If not, I can give a brief review of it before we get into the more complicated stuff about using shadows as a ninjutsu technique in combat." Replied Shikamaru.

"Nope, it's okay; I already know how to manipulate chakra into my hands and learned how to use them, and since I alredy know how to perform hand seals when I did the clone technique, it should work well once I learn the shadow techniques right?" asked Naruto.

Shikamaru looked at him with a disapproving stare while scratching his head and said, "Okay, then. If you know al about manipulating chakra into your hands, then let's get started. First, in order for you to learn the shadow imitation technique, you must be able to delay enemy pursuers in order to let your teammates flee. All it just needs is a rat hand seal and then you will be able to stretch your shadow up to twice the length of any other shadows as they are combined. Once, you are able to do that, the enemy target will be captured and eventually, two combatants like you and me will come face to face and mimic each other's movements so that we can throw shurikens at each other if I desire it."

The Nara boy then performed a demonstration of the shadow imitation to Naruto by running a hand seal and then stretching out his shadow at the blonde, making him mimic his movements, and then threw a couple of shurikens at him. "Defend yourself!" he called out.

As Naruto dodged the shurikens, he quickly used a replacement technique and then got himself out of Shikamaru's shadow as it was continuously running towards him, but Naruto said to him, "You are going to have to do a lot better than that if that shadow will hit me."

Shikamaru showed him a smile and then replied to him, "Get ready, Naruto. Because this time you won't have much of a chance now!" His shadow then continued extending, but Naruto quickly noticed that pineapple-head was exerting too much chakra with the shadow imitation technique when it was unleashed and the technique will likely disappear. He then made Naruto come towards him while raising their hands in the air and said, "Well, I guess I give up, I can't continue the technique anymore."

Naruto stared at Shikamaru with a shocked look on his face and was a bit ticked off while his father sweat-dropped and placed his hand on his head and thought, "How troublesome, and here I thought he had a strategy to defeat Naruto." He tried not to laugh but he snickered quietly and was glad that the match was won by Naruto as default.

"Now, Naruto, do you know why my son gave up? It's because that the downside to the Shadow imitation technique is that for us, using it repeatedly will tire us out because all of the chakra in our body has been used up. Also, when shadow users like me have low chakra, the shadow imitation's performance rate will deteriorate. The second weakness of the technique is that users like us are only able to stretch, contract, or just expand our shadows to the total surface area, but it does give us an advantage during morning and night, but it does become a major dilemma during mid-day, so be aware of this when you use it on your enemies." Replied Shikaku.

"I see, and yes, I understand, but I thought that as long as you come up with another plan to defeat an enemy while the shadow imitation is still in use, isn't that true? After all, you mentioned to me that you are brilliant strategists." Replied Naruto.

"Not necessarily. It is a big waste of time to continue the technique. Just like in a game of Shogi, sacrifices are necessary during combat and also we need to conserve our chakra, so that's why we dispelled the shadow imitation to allow you to go free. Sorry about that, but that's the best we can do for the shadow imitation." Replied Shikamaru truthfully.

Naruto wasn't convinced at first, but the man was right. He realized now that overuse of chakra in a shinobi's body would severely deplete their chances of completing a technique and will most likely unable to continue battling opponents of chunin skill level or higher. The same thing would apply to him, but his family tells him that he had nothing to worry about as long as he is able to hit the enemy at point blank, the technique will be successful. But he must also understand that if the jutsu doesn't go through the first time, he needs to take a second run at it.

"Okay, Naruto, now that you know about shadow imitation, we want you to try it on Shikamaru this time around but make sure to time the technique before unleashing it, otherwise you may have difficulty stretching the shadow and it won't be able to hit its target. So take your time with this, understand, Naruto?" said Shikaku with a low tone of seriousness.

"Understood, Shikaku tou-san. Okay, Shikamaru, I'm not planning to go easy on you, but I'll make it count. So let's head outside to the backyard and begin our training." Replied Naruto as he grabbed the lazy-ass shinobi and went outside.

"Hey, what's the big idea? Where are you taking me? Ugh! You are so troublesome, Naruto. All right, let's get it over with." Replied Shikamaru with a disgusted look as he and Naruto went to the backyard with the Nara clan heir following them. Once they arrived, the man said, "Okay, I will act as judge for this small training session. Are you both ready? Fight!" called Shikaku.

Soon, Naruto ran a hand seal of the rat and called out "_Kage Shibari no jutsu!" _ The shadow started stretching out and went towards Shikamaru, thereby trapping him with the shadow and having pineapple-head mimic the blonde's movements. Afterwards, Naruto grabbed a handful of shurikens and threw them at Shikamaru, but he dodged them easily without getting hit by them. As Naruto threw the second batch at Shikamaru, it immediately got him but pineapple-head used a replacement technique and faced his back on the wall and said to Naruto, "You are so hasty to win this, when there is no need to rush things. Didn't I tell you to take it slow? Well, let's do it!" replied Shikamaru with a smug.

After Naruto unleashed his shadow on Shikamaru, he took out a couple of kunai knives and tossed them at Shikamaru but he dodged them very easily by doing back flips and front flips to avoid getting hit. "You are going to have to do a lot better than that if you are going to beat me, Naruto-san. Remember what my dad said; extend out your shadow length up a bit so that you can come up with a strategy to defeat me. Using the shadow imitation repeatedly on me would force you to attack yourself and you won't have any chance against me." Replied Shikamaru.

"Hey pineapple-head, look behind you, I am not really attacking myself, I was using a shadow clone to distract you. Did you see I had this all planned out from the beginning? And those were just three kunai knives being thrown at you, next time I will throw five at you and you won't be able to dodge them so quickly. Maybe you should think twice before underestimating my abilities as a shinobi of Konoha." Replied Naruto.

"Man, you are so annoying and you are never going to stop calling me by that name, aren't you? But anyway, I think we'll call this one a draw since I have stretched my shadow onto one of your clones to trap you, but then I have another trick up my sleeve, the explosive style shadow conceal. It's a trap that I had laid out for you, so come and get me!" replied Shikamaru.

As Naruto continued his shadow technique, he ran straight for his target to finish his opponent off, but unfortunately he had walked into the trap, which triggered the explosive tag setting off all the kunai knives sending the blonde flying in the air, but the blonde wasn't about to fall for the trick the second time and so he created another mass of shadow clones combined with his shadow imitation. He ordered his clones to go in alternate directions to capture Shikamaru. As the deer raiser watched, he thought to himself, "What the heck is Naruto up to running in all directions? He knows he cannot capture me with that kind of technique unless… He is using the eight directions shadow imitation to prevent me from making any movements! When did he learn this technique and could he be a strategist like me? I better come up with another plan and fast before I am done for."

As Shikamaru dodged Naruto's eight directions shadow, he quickly ran behind and tree and crouched down to come up with another plan and he soon realizes now that it was only a genjutsu that Naruto had played on the deer raiser earlier. As he watched the cloudes he quickly holds the tips of his finger together and made a hand signal to release the genjutsu and called, "_Genjutsu kai!_" Finally, the technique from Naruto was dispelled.

"There is no use in hiding behind a tree, pineapple head, come on out here you coward and face me like a man!" called Naruto. As he continued to use the eight directions shadow technique with his bushins, he hears a stifling laughter from behind the trees and called, "What's so funny?"

"Heh! Don't flatter yourself. You were so caught up in your technique and the use of clones; I had to dispel your little genjutsu because in reality you never actually trapped with when you unleashed that technique. You still have a long way to go if you want to outsmart a genius. Look down in front of you; I had disposed of your technique when I was behind the tree. And here you thought you can outsmart a guy like me? Well, think again. This whole time, I wasn't really caught in your technique was really thinking a couple of moves ahead of what was going to happen next and I had blocked the chakra flow in your body before I had fallen into your trap. I almost feel bad for you losing to me. Just give up already, its over." Replied Shikamaru as he removes his genjutsu releasing Naruto.

"For a genius like you, you really outsmarted me that time, way to go. Keep it up, and I am learning a lot from you." Replied naruto as he shook Shikamaru's hands. As the father watched, he was most impressed at how well the two boys had performed on their match and said calmly, "That was one of the most impressive battles that I've ever seen. I am so proud of you both for the way you battled out there, I think with both your hard work, both of you could make chunin easily as I have mentioned to you before." He said.

"Thanks, Shikaku-san, and I'll make sure to work even harder to catch up with Shikamaru. And also when will I be able to learn the Shadow neck bind technique?" asked Naruto.

"I'm so glad you asked that question, Naruto. But you may want to wait until after you are promoted to chunin after the chunin selection exams this year, in the meantime, we'll move on to another type of shadow technique in addition to the one that you have already mastered. But, this time, as you capture the opponent with the shadow imitation, you would need to summon shadowy tendrils from your opponent's body and then control them in the same manner as shadow sewing, which we will explain more later on. Anyway, the technique is known as the shadow summoning, which will allow you to control your opponent's body instead of your own." Replied Shikaku.

"Control an opponent's body with the shadow summoning? That's sort of new to me, but you can actually control the enemy's body and its movements just like a puppeteer does with his puppets?" asked Naruto.

"Well, yes, it's related to how a puppeteer controlling puppets, but the use of the techniques of a puppeteer compared with how we control an opponent are different things al together. By releasing chakra on your finger tips and by holding your hands together with your left thumb and your right index finger, the shadow summoning technique will easily capture the opponent and will completely enclose them making them unable to move and it will give you the ability to use them as a tool in your arsenal to fight against enemies that are a huge threat to konoha." Continued Shikaku. He then got ready in his fighting stance and then said to naruto, "I will be demonstrating the shadow summouning technique on you as a test, so watch carefully."

Shikaku then grabbed a hold of his own hands and closed his left thumb and his right indext finger togther to gather up the shadow imitation technique on Naruto, afterwards, Naruto mimics the man's movements and suddenly he sees a large amount of threads coming towards him and said, "No way what is this technique? I can't move!"

"I am currently attaching the shadow threads on you, now are you prepared? This isn't going to hurt, so relax. _Kageyose no jutsu!_" called Shikaku as the shadow threads wrapped around naruto's entire body tying him up like a mummy. But naruto didn't feel any pain as he was wrapped in the shadow technique, he then said from inside, "Okay, now that you wrapped me in the shadow summoning, what are you going to do to me?" asked Naruto.

"Relax, this is only a practice session, I will now control you like a puppet and then copy your moves. Kage Bushin no jutsu! See? Now I have the ability to copy your moves and easily turn them against you as if we were engaged in real combat, but I am surprised that you have the shadow imitation down pat, and not to mention that you were able to pull off another amazing technique, the eight directions shadow technique. You know, you are just something else all together, and just like your father, there are techniques that not even he can complete. But I do believe you have what it takes to surpass him." replied the deer raiser as he placed his hands on the blonde while smiling at him.

Naruto knows that deep down, his new family has full confidence in him that he will succeed and hopefully to have the village respect him for whom he is, but no matter how harsh the villagers had treated him, he wasn't going to let that get in his way of becoming the new Hokage and surpass his grandfather. Naruto had vowed to keep the village safe even if he had to put his life on the line to do it with the help of his beloved family. He wasn't about to throw in the towel and was willing to give it all he's gotten.

"You okay in there, Naruto? Are the Tendrils too tight?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I think I'm feeling very uncomfortable in here because of the shadow tendrils, and I need some air." Replied Naruto.

Shikaku quickly releases his technique from Naruto and said to him, "Well, how was it, were you able to hang on for more than thirty seconds with the technique used on you?"

"I believe so, I didn't even flinch or make any movements while your technique was in use, but I think I get it now, the shadow summon technique requires some time and skill to use at long range, right? If I want to be a long range fighter, I have to be able to maintain focus on the technique in order for it to work,correct?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, it takes a lot of skill to use at long range and it does require a lot of focus in order for it to be perfect. Now that I have shown you how it works, try it while using your shadow clone technique as a backup while you perform the jutsu because this way you won't have to run around like crazy while sending the shadow tendrils all over the place while attacking your opponent." Said Shikamaru.

The deer raiser could only scratch his head smiling while knowing that Shikamaru had once done the technique before when he was on a mission to fend of enemies from the waterfall village. Due to the effects of the technique, the opponent will not be able to make any movements and he will be prevented from making hand signs to perform new techniques, in this instance, the opponent will be crushed while the shadow technique is wrapped on their bodies. But even though Naruto was new to this stuff that the Nara clan had developed, they feel that the kid would have what it takes to handle something that powerful without any problems.

"Okay, now that I know how the technique works, is there anything else I should know about besides its ability and the requirements now that you have shown me how it works?" aksed Naruto.

"Well, since you have several different types of chakra in your body in order to unleash shadow techniques along with some others, you can extend the length of the shadow imitation while using the shadow summoning. And by combining them all together, you will be able to defeat your opponents without fail. If you can manage to pull this off, then you'll have a good understand of our techniques." Replied Shikaku. As he looked at his watch, he then said, "Oh, we better wrap this up, I have to get back to the ranch and get those deer herded. But if have any other questions, stop by at any time and me and Shikamaru will give you some pointers on other jutsus that involve shadow use. Also, be sure to ask Sarutobi Asuma for advice too if you are having problems, okay?" replied Shikaku as he showed a smile towards naruto.

"Of course, Shikaku-tou san, and I promise, I won't let you down because I have all the skills necessary to being a great ninja of Konoha. And I won't let any enemy stand in my way." Replied Naruto as he smiled at them.

"Man, you really are a troublesome fellow, not to mention a loudmouth knuckleheaded shinobi. You must realize that this training is only just the beginning, kiddo. You'll get there eventually, don't worry and with our help, you might even rise to the top and show the world just how strong you will become." Said Shikamaru with a look of disgust on his face, but he realized now that he needs to work just as hard as Naruto and eventually, he and Naruto will form a close bond as friends and brothers as they become chunin.

"Thanks for the lecture on the shadow techniques, and I will make sure to put them in good use when I go up against real enemies who are a real threat to this village or to me. I think I better head over to Ino's place to learn about the mind destruction technique and hopefully this will help my brain to concentrate on things that are the most important and to understand the mind inside of a human brain. I'll see you guys later, okay?" replied Naruto as he left the Nara deer ranch and went his way to the flower shop where Ino was waiting for him.

"He sure is in a hurry to learn some new stuff; it seems the techniques that are being taught to him are now in his possession, it's like he wanted this from the start." Replied Shikamaru to his father.

"Don't underestimate him, he has the power to change Konoha as mentioned by the Hokage, he has kindness in his soul and we see him as a good guy, and he has a soft side too like you, Shikamaru. To us, he really does care about the village and he is lucky to have friends in this place, don't you think?" replied his father.

"Yep, he's got friends all right. That kid will make a fine brother for me since Sasuke doesn't take too highly of him", replied Shikamaru.

The Nara clan good-bye at Naruto as he runs off to the Konoha center and heads straight for Ino's flower shop. As he arrived, he is greeted by Ino as he entered the residence. "Welcome back, Naruto, I just got word from Shikamaru that you did well with the training at his place, but now are you ready for your next traning sessions, this time it will involve thinking and meditation so that way we can see how well your brain will function. Before we train you, we need to test your brain to see how much you already know deep in your mind." Replied Ino.

"You mean, like to test my knowledge type of thing?" asked Naruto.

"That's right, buddy, in order for us to understand your mind, we need to test you on what you need to know before you are able to do the mind body switch technique. This does not involve the use of hand signs and you don't need to make any movements. Also, you will be doing a lot of meditations with us because this way, it will help you to focus your mind on one thing without having any interruptions. This will be to test your concentration skills as well, just like when you played shogi with Shikamaru, which had taught you concentration and thinking skills." Replied Inoichi who had came out of the house after his mission.

"Ah, you must be Ino's father, right? I am so glad to meet you at last! Now that you are here, I am finally getting a chance to learn something new now. I spent all day listening to Shikamaru's boring lectures about shadow techniques works and it just bored me." Replied naruto as he shook the man's hand.

"I know, you must really have waited a long time for this right? I hope you didn't have problems with the shadow technique because this one will be a bit more challenging than the last one. Are you ready for it?" asked Inoichi.

"I am well prepared for this, Inioichi-san. My mind tells me that its ready to take on this next challenge. If I can handle this, I can handle anything that comes at me." Replied Naruto as he smiled at the man.

"Well, you certainly are feeling confident of yourself, aren't you, Naruto-san? You are certainly full of surprises, but you better work hard, all right buddy boy, otherwise, you will leave empty-handed and your brain is all but wasted, understand?" said Inoichi.

"Hai, Inoichi-san. I will give it my all." Replied naruto.

"Now, that's what I like to hear. We'll start your training in the morning and you need some sleep, and you must be exhausted after exerting all that chakra with the shadow use right?" continued the man.

"Yep, I need a nice long rest and it will help to reboot my strength after a nice cup of water and all before I hit the sack." Said Naruto.

After Naruto drank the water, he went off to bed thinking about what shikamru had mentioned about the shadow use and the limited amount of time that it had. "If I can hold the shadow imitation technique for at lest a couple of minutes, I won't have to waste time with thinking about the next step because I like to take things easy and slow in order for my jutsu to be perfect." He thought as he dozed off to sleep.

**And, that will do it for this chapter. I know what you are thinking, and yes, it took me a while to finish this because of my workload at school and my job. I will get this uploaded today and hopefully start chapter 12 next week entitled, "Inside the mind" and then get it posted by Saturday. Also, Naruto will be learning how to perform the summoning technique of animals as my story continues. Let me know what you think of this and review it. See you all next time.**

**Combatally12**


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